Renaissance
by FlakJacket
Summary: Hermione could lose her brother if she doesn't marry a wizard of age. That wizard? Read and find out! Completely finished story! RR PLEASE!
1. The Problem

Chapter 1: The Problem  
  
Hermione sat down in front of Lucius Malfoy's desk apprehensively; she had been summoned here by the Ministry, but she had not expected to be in conference with...him. Especially after she, Harry, and Ron had brought down Voldemort. Albeit at the expense of Dumbledore's life. She almost sighed out loud with sadness. That had been two years ago.  
  
The door to the office opened, and in came a silvery-haired Lucius Malfoy, "Good morning Miss Granger," he said, sitting down at his desk sleekly. "Good morning Mr. Malfoy," she said stiffly. "I suppose you're wondering why the Ministry called you here?" he quipped. She said nothing and he continued, "It's a very simple matter Miss Granger. You see, the Ministry is enacting strict laws prohibiting the care of underage witches and wizards by minors. Any minor with a young child in the household is to be moved to a wizard orphanage." Hermione let this sink in for a minute, "Are you telling me that my brother is going to be confiscated like an object?"  
  
"Miss Granger, that's so crass of you," he said in a salty tone, "The Ministry is merely looking out for your brother's best interests and-" "Best interests?" she said, shaking with rage, "You want to take him away from the one relative he has left and you call it his best interests? You know, I can't help it that Death Eaters such as yourself murdered my parents, but the hell if I'll let you take away Adrian!"  
  
Malfoy was silent for a minute, and his eyes reflected cold steel; finally he spoke, "Miss Granger...if you would let me finish...you will be allowed to keep Adrian, but only under Until you reach the age of twenty-one, if you want to keep your brother, you must either move in with a wizard relative of your own or marry a wizard of adult age." "You know damn well I don't have any wizard relatives!" she snapped angrily, the thought of losing Adrian unseating her with fear.  
  
"Well then, you're in a bit of a precarious situation, aren't you?" he replied nastily. She stared at him vindictively, "I'll bet you just love this. The Mudblood loses her brother. Very clever of you Malfoy. Couldn't kill me so you did the next best thing; take away the only member of my family. Congratulations, you heartless bastard."  
  
Malfoy's eyes glinted maliciously, "I had nothing to do with it Miss Granger. If you have a complaint to register with the Ministry you might want to consult those who create the laws, and as I am not one of them..." "As if they weren't in your pocket!" she snarled, the idea of losing Adrian pounding in her head over and over again. He cleared his throat, "You have no proof of that Miss Granger. And if that is all...I bid you good day." She stood swiftly, "It is not all. This isn't the end of it Malfoy. You won't take away my brother. Not now. Not ever."  
  
The office door banged shut behind her, and Malfoy let out a derisive laugh.  
  
Hermione stormed into the dungeons with venom and yanked a cauldron out of one of the storage compartments. "Bastard," she muttered, the jars and containers clanking as she slammed them down on the table. She tried to calm herself but found that she couldn't; this was Malfoy's doing, she knew it, and it reeked of his stench...  
  
"Something the matter Miss Granger?" said a dark voice filled with sarcasm.  
  
Hermione turned to see Professor Snape standing in the doorway, casting a casual glance at her. "Nothing that concerns you," she grumbled, returning to her potion. She heard him sit down at his desk, and a minute later he spoke, "You were late today." She said nothing and continued to stir, bringing up the boil. "You're never late," he added. She slammed her ladle down, "Well there's a first time for everything now isn't there?!" His eyes flashed with black fire, "Talking back now are we?" "Like I said," she repeated angrily, "there's a first time for everything."  
  
She went back to her potion and refused to look at him; let him rot over there so far as she cared. She just had to complete the assignment and get the hell out of there. If it hadn't been for the fact that the Ministry refused to grant her a teaching license without a three-month advisement period under Professor Snape, she never would have talked to him ever again. Silently she thought of what Harry had started calling him around seventh year, 'Batman,' and smiled slightly to herself.  
  
For a while he said nothing, and she thought he had left her alone for good until she realized that he was now standing right in front of her, gazing down at her with black eyes that would make the Devil himself squirm. She stopped after a minute, and looked up slowly, "Yes?" They held each other's gazes for a minute, neither of them wanting to be the one to break it out of pure malice, until finally Hermione blinked, "What?" Snape seemed to savor the fact that he'd won out...this time. "You just added nettles to the potion."  
  
"What?" she cried, looking down. Sure enough, she had just put nettles into the potion, rendering it useless, "Damn!" she snapped, hefting the cauldron up and tossing it into the stone sink and dumping it out. "Stupid....I hate...this is Malfoy's fault..."  
  
Snape looked up at this, "And what exactly are you muttering about Miss Granger?" She stilled for a minute, "Nothing," and went back to washing out the useless potion. Snape produced a crystal vial from his pocket and held it out to her in his long white fingers, "It's Veritaserum Miss Granger. I'd be loathe to use it." She put down her scrubber, "Fine. You want to know what the matter is?" She dried her hands off and turned to face him, "I had to see Lucius Malfoy this morning." "That's a tragedy indeed," he said sardonically.  
  
"I'm not finished!" she shouted, surprising herself, and what was more, surprising Snape too. He bit back an angry reply and let her continue, "Unfortunately, Malfoy revealed to me the fact that, due to the newest addition to the Decree for Underage Wizardry, I will no longer be allowed to be guardian of my brother Adrian. They're taking him away to live in an...an orphanage, because I'm not of age yet." Snape thought on this for a minute; he had met Adrian briefly before when Granger had brought him to visit the castle; he was a young boy with scruffy brown hair, around the age of ten. He would be entering Hogwarts soon.  
  
"Is there no way you can keep him?" he said, after a minute of deep thought. "No," she said firmly, "unless..." she laughed mirthlessly, "...unless I marry a wizard of age or live with a wizard family member. And since I am, after all, the Mudblood that the Malfoys have always hated, it's only sweet revenge for them since I have no magical relatives. That bastard. He knew all this. That's why he wanted to tell me himself. Wanted to rub it in. Well good for him, he succeeded."  
  
She went back to the sink and turned on the gargoyle faucet with anger, scrubbing at the black cauldron with all her might, silently wishing she could just go home, go to sleep, and not have to wake up. After a minute of silence she said sarcastically, "Come now Professor, certainly you have some sort of derogatory remark to make about my Mudblood family." She turned to face him and he observed her for a long minute, "No, I don't." She was surprised at his docility, "Really. How odd." She went back to scrubbing and ignored the soft click of a door shutting; Snape was gone.  
  
"I wish Dumbledore was here," she out loud with a sigh, thinking fondly of the old man that had counseled her through her parents' deaths and more. 'He might even have known a solution to this bullshit,' she thought silently, dreading the Ministry's visit next week.  
  
She re-made the potion, and this time it was proper, and when Snape returned he observed it half-heartedly, "Very good, you may go for today," he muttered. She glanced up at him, "Sir?" "I said that's good, you may leave," he said, mind clearly somewhere else. She didn't ask, and put away her things, then turned to leave. She looked back and saw Snape seated at his desk, deep in thought, and she watched as he put a few thoughts into his Pensieve. "Sir, are you going to be all right?" she asked flatly. "I'm fine Miss Granger, now please leave," he said, pulling a few more gossamer strands out of his hair and placing them in the Pensieve.  
  
She didn't argue, and left quietly, and the door clicked shut behind her. 


	2. ReEstablished Principles

Chapter 2: Re-established Principles  
  
Hermione awoke the next morning feeling warm and encased in softness; her comforter was wrapped around her, and she was hugging it tightly. Six days until Adrian had to leave. She still hadn't told him. Finally she stood up and stretched; she should take him to Diagon Alley today, as a treat. That's a good idea.  
  
She dressed quickly and brushed her hair, which had gone from bushy to scattered, but she didn't care anymore; beauty critics were the least of her worries at the moment. "Adrian! Adrian, are you up yet?" she called through his door. "Yeh, I'm up Hermione," he yawned, opening the door, "Morning." "Good morning," she said, "since it's Saturday I thought we'd do something for fun. Wanna go with me to Diagon Alley?" His eyes grew wider, and the sleepiness disappeared, "'Course! Let's go!" "Well get dressed then," she added, "I'll be waiting for you. Hurry it up."  
  
The majority of the day was spent at Diagon Alley, and it wasn't until five o'clock in the evening that they finally returned, their shopping bags bulging with sweets, books, potions ingredients, and other items. "I can't wait to go to Hogwarts!" said Adrian excitedly, "I can't wait to learn magic!" She smiled, "It's a lot of fun Adrian, but a lot of work. You'll enjoy it though. Especially with the friends in your house. You'll love it." He grinned up at her happily, and for a minute Hermione saw a bit of herself in the ten year old boy. "Go on, go put your things in your room," she said, giving him a little shove, "I'll have dinner ready in about an hour. Until then, I'll expect you to be nice and quiet!"  
  
He laughed, "Don't expect anything from me!" and tore off to his room, eager to look at all the sweets and books.  
  
Hermione smiled morosely; she still hadn't told him. She sighed out loud and went into the kitchen; this little apartment had served her well, and she loved the kitchen. It was small and neat, and it reminded her vaguely of the old house in which she had grown up. But since her parents' deaths they had to downsize to something cheaper; fortunately there were a row of flats up for rent right above Diagon Alley. It was very lucky for her and for Adrian.  
  
She bustled about in the kitchen for about ten minutes until she heard the distinct 'pop!' of someone Apparating, and she looked into the living room to see who it was. She almost jumped out of her skin and let out a yelp of shock, "Professor!" she cried, clutching at her chest, "Don't do that!" He almost smirked but decided not to, "I apologize Miss Granger; I've been trying to contact you all day via Floo Network but you were not answering. I came to make sure nothing was the matter."  
  
"The matter? Oh no, no, I took Adrian to Diagon Alley, that's all," she said, heart slowing down, "as a treat. I...I still haven't told him yet. I figured I'd try to make his last week with me as good as possible before he-" "Miss Granger, before you say anything else," he interrupted, and she was annoyed, "Yes?" "I've been discussing this problem of yours with a few members of the Order," he said, "because, as much as I hate to admit it, it bothers me. Mostly because Malfoy is involved." She almost smirked, "Please continue."  
  
He inhaled deeply, "I've explained this to a few members of the Order such as Alastor Moody and Arthur Weasley, them being Ministry members, but none of them can do anything about the law. It's final. There's no getting around it." "Well I could have told you that," she replied, "Malfoy's got all those sniveling little bastards in his pocket. He's bought them all. There'll be no changing the law." "If you'll allow me to continue," said Snape finely, bordering a sarcastic retort. She fell silent, "Of course sir. I'm sorry; please go on."  
  
Snape looked down at her for a long minute, tracing his mouth with a long, white finger, deep in thought. Finally he continued, "However, the fact remains that you can keep your brother if you were to marry a wizard of age. That means a wizard not engaged or married." She almost said 'Duh,' but decided against it, allowing him to continue; she could tell he looked a little unnerved. "As I...I consulted the Order, talking to a few different people, I discovered that there is nobody in the Order in such a position to marry you, even for such a short time, with the exception of one."  
  
She waited, and finally he said, "And that would be me." He waited for her to let out the characteristic, "SICK!" but she merely blinked at him. After about a minute of silence she said, "Let me see if I understand this correctly; you are suggesting that I marry you in order to keep Adrian?" "I'm not suggesting it, I am merely providing the information," he said, albeit a little too quickly.  
  
She sat down at one of the stools at the kitchen island, "I see. Does this bother you sir?" He almost said "Not really, no," then decided against it; "If it doesn't bother you Miss Granger, then it doesn't bother me." There. That sounded better. She nodded, "Well...you're...that's...that's a very noble thing for you to suggest sir. That...that really means a lot to me." He waited for her to say, "But no thanks," but instead she said, "I'll do it."  
  
He almost did a double take, then, "You...ah...you will?" "Of course!" she said, as if this were obvious, "I mean if I get to keep Adrian then who cares? I most certainly don't!" "And the notion of living with me doesn't bother you," he said plainly. "No! I could be a lot worse off you know!" she said, tears of happiness in her eyes, "Oh sir, you've made me so happy! I was so worried about Adrian that I-"  
  
"What about me?"  
  
Snape and Hermione turned to see Adrian standing there, holding a book entitled Hogwarts, A History, with a confused look on his face. "Er," said Hermione stiffly, "I...hi Adrian! Uh, it was nothing!" "Yes it was!" said Adrian indignantly, and Hermione had a sneaky suspicion he had heard a lot more than he was letting on about. "You were talking about me going away!" he said, eyes welling up with tears, "You don't like me do you?! You tricked me into thinking you liked me!" "What? No! Adrian no that's not true!" she replied frantically, trying to think of a better story than the truth.  
  
Suddenly she felt an arm around her, yanking her up off the stool, "Come on Hermione, I think we should tell him the truth!" said Snape cheerfully. She almost fell over with shock, "I...what?" "He's going to find out eventually anyway, so we had might as well tell him!" he said, an unnaturally bright smile on his face. "Uhh..." said Hermione, facing Adrian, "Adrian...this is Prof-" An elbow dug her hard in the ribs, "I mean, Severus Snape. He's just...he's asked me to marry him."  
  
Adrian looked back and forth at them, eyes darting with eager knowledge, "Really?" They both nodded with fake smiles and finally Adrian said, "And what are you going to say?" "Why, yes of course!" she replied cheerily. Adrian's eyes narrowed on Snape, "May I speak to you for a minute sir?" Snape untwined his arm from around Hermione's waist and said, "Sure."  
  
He followed the boy to his bedroom, which had many Quidditch posters plastered all over the walls and little toy broomsticks all over the floor, "Yes?" Adrian shut the door behind them, and turned to face Snape, a slightly mistrusting look in his eyes, "I don't know who you are, but if you think you're gonna marry my sister without having to deal with me, then you're dead wrong!" Snape almost laughed at threats from a ten-year old boy but remained stoically quiet as he continued, "So if you mess with her at all, I'll come after you!" he said, pounding his fist into his hand for emphasis.  
  
"I won't sir, I promise," said Snape, a smirk threatening to twang across his face. Adrian puffed out his chest and held up his chin, "That's right! Okay...you can go now." Snape left the room, Adrian trailing him and still glaring at him. Hermione gave Snape a look that said, 'What the hell was that all about?' but he merely muttered through gritted teeth, "Later."  
  
"Well," said Hermione brightly, "I know you have to leave now but-" "What, he's not staying?" asked Adrian. "For what?" retorted Hermione. "For dinner!" exclaimed Adrian, "You're getting married and you're not even going to eat dinner together?!" "Oh, right you are," said Hermione awkwardly, turning to Snape, "Prof-er, Severus, would you like to stay for dinner?" "Yes I'd love to," he replied, still smiling plastically; his muscles were starting to hurt.  
  
"Okay, well, I'd better finish making dinner," she said, hurrying into the kitchen and hiding her expression of shock as she stuck her head in the refrigerator to look for something. Adrian observed Snape for a minute, then clambered onto the kitchen stool Hermione had seated herself on only minutes before, "Sit!" he said, pointing to the other stool. Snape sat. Silently he wondered how he was going to deal with this kid for the next two years.  
  
"So what do you do?" asked Adrian, pulling out a little toy Firebolt and watching it zoom around the kitchen table. "I'm a teacher," said Snape, feeling awkward. "What do you teach?" "I teach Potions," he replied. Adrian froze, "Potions? You teach Potions?" "Yes, why?" said Snape curiously. Adrian gasped, and suddenly Hermione knew what the problem was, 'Oh I'm going to kill Harry and Ron...!' she thought silently. "You're the Batman!" gasped Adrian, and Hermione almost leapt at him, "Are you sure you're not feeling tired Adrian? Maybe it's time for a nap huh?" she rambled quickly. Surprisingly, rather than seeing a look of hatred on Snape's face, he laughed, and it rang throughout the air.  
  
She almost did a double take as he said, "It's all right. I haven't heard that one in a while. Don't worry, I'm not offended. It's always interesting to see what each new class of students comes up with." Hermione's jaw dropped, "I...er...yes of course," she muttered, going back to making her London Broil. Adrian grinned, "Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron told me that!" "ADRIAN, THAT'S ENOUGH!" shouted Hermione, red in the face with embarrassment. "I suspected as much," drawled Snape with a suspicious smile. Adrian snorted a laugh as he watched them, and he giggled, "Sorry."  
  
"It's not your fault Adrian," said Snape, giving Hermione a look of 'I know exactly whose fault it is.' "So," said Snape, turning back to Adrian, "are you looking forward to Hogwarts next year?" He nodded happily, "Yup! I can't wait! I really want to learn all about Charms and Transfiguration! I want to be able to turn into an animal! Like a lion! Or a snake!" Snape smirked silently, thinking of the Gryffindor and Slytherin house symbols.  
  
"All done!" announced Hermione. A few minutes later the three of them were situated at the dinner table, and Snape was surprised that he was actually rather enjoying his London Broil. For a few minutes the table was in silence as they ate, and Snape silently thought that perhaps this wasn't so bad. Maybe he could live with this for two years. Maybe.  
  
Dinner ended abruptly when Adrian said he was feeling ill, or as Hermione put it, "A tummy ache," and put him to bed. She crept down the hallway quietly, so as not to wake him, and approached Snape, "So what did he talk to you about earlier?" she whispered. He told her, and she almost laughed, "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't think he'd act in such a way," she said quietly. "It's all right, I find it amusing taking orders from a ten year old," said Snape softly.  
  
She smiled slightly, "Thank you for this evening. If it hadn't been for some quick thinking on your part I might have blown the whole thing." "It's all right," he said eventually, "I just didn't want your brother to be hurt by this whole thing. It's Malfoy's doing, and the last thing I want to see is his imprint on someone like him. He's too innocent for that." Hermione nodded gravely, "You're right." She hesitated, "So...Professor...when are we...are we getting...married?" "You had might as well call me Severus," he retorted, "and I'm not sure. I suppose I could arrange it in two days." "Two days would be fine," she said, keeping her voice low, "whatever works for you."  
  
He nodded, "All right. Two days. I'll owl the Ministry and tell them to scratch their trip here next week." Hermione's heart lightened at knowing that she could keep her brother, "Yes, of course." Severus turned to leave, and was halfway out the door when Hermione caught his arm; he turned back, "Yes?"  
  
She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, and lightly kissed his cheek, "Thank you so much." Severus felt his face growing red, "Yes, well, you're...you're welcome." She let him go, "Sorry." "It's all right Miss Gr-, er, Hermione," he said easily, "I know your brother means a lot to you. Goodnight."  
  
And with that, Severus Snape was gone.  
  
Harry and Ron were not at all happy about this. Hermione marrying the Batman, even if it was for just two years, was a completely ludicrous idea that neither of them wanted to hear about. "You could have just asked one of us you know," said Ron angrily. "No I couldn't because neither of you are of age! Do you want me to lose my brother?" she snapped. "Hermione, you know perfectly well that neither of us wants that," said Harry, "but marrying...him. I mean that's just...it's weird Hermione. I don't like it. Why don't you just write Viktor and ask him?" "Because unfortunately Viktor stopped swinging that way about a year ago," she said flatly. Harry and Ron did double takes, and finally Ron said, "Oh. Well. That explains a lot."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Look, Professor Snape has already exhausted every possibility, and he told me so last night. There's no other way out of this." "Yeah, but how do we know that?" said Ron suspiciously, "I mean what if he said that but he was really lying? What if he's doing it just so he can...you know..." Hermione felt her temper flare, "Ronald Weasley, you know perfectly well that that's NOT true! Besides, we're not sleeping together you dolt!" Ron's ears went red with embarrassment, "Right...s-sorry..."  
  
'How did I ever befriend these two dunderheads?' she thought silently as Harry said, "Hermione, really, we're sorry, we know he means well. We trust him. If you need any help from any of us, let us know, okay? We're here for you." "What about Fred or George?" asked Ron suddenly, "You could marry one of them!" "Yes, and I'm sure Gisela and Angelina wouldn't mind that at all would they?" she replied sarcastically. Harry and Ron both thought of the twins' girlfriends for a minute, and finally Ron said, "Yeah, they probably would." "Look, I've already thought of anyone possible, and Professor Snape's the only one, so just give it up," said Hermione.  
  
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, then sighed in unison, "Okay Hermione," said Ron, "we give up." 


	3. Past Remembrances

Chapter 3: Past Remembrances  
  
A week later Hermione was seated beside Professor Snape at the High Table; it was still summer, so they had a while before they had to reveal the truth to the other staff members, with the exception of Headmistress McGonagall. The great hall was eerily quiet without students, and silently Hermione remembered all the table conversations she'd had with Harry and Ron, all the jokes, all the stupid arguments...  
  
What she wouldn't give for things to be that carefree again.  
  
"Something the matter, Hermione?" said the voice to her left. She glanced up at Severus, "No sir, I was just...I was remembering something from a long time ago. But it doesn't matter anymore." Severus said nothing and continued to eat, although silently he wondered what was making her this depressed.  
  
Lucius Malfoy had been by to see them the day after the wedding, which had been small and informal, and he was almost fuming at Snape when he showed up. "What do you care Lucius?" Severus had replied smoothly. "I care, Severus, because that Mudblood is not supposed to have her brother! You're just doing this so she can keep him!" "And what if I'm not?" he quipped. "Why else would you marry a Mudblood Severus? I know you better than that. You can't fool me." "Are you certain?" asked Severus with a nasty smile. Malfoy's eyes had narrowed upon him with pent-up rage, "Or perhaps you're doing it for the other advantages that come with the job. Good evening Severus."  
  
And with that, Malfoy had disappeared into the fireplace, not to be seen since then. Severus smiled inwardly; the little bastard was outplayed for once, and no amount of money could undo what had been done. But Severus was lying, of course, about doing it for any other reason. He really did want Granger to keep her brother. It reminded him vaguely of past events, only this time he wanted things to turn out the way they should have.  
  
He was snapped from his stupor by a pair of brown eyes observing him from over the table. Adrian was hidden behind the table, watching Severus and Hermione, and finally he said, "What are you thinking about?" Severus blinked, banishing the memory of Lucius Malfoy, "Nothing in particular. What are you thinking about?" Adrian grinned, "Nothing in particular." Silently Severus added the boy to the short list of smartasses he had already compiled, and watched as the scruffy youth walked all the way around the table and finally sat down next to Hermione.  
  
Helping himself to steak-and-kidney pie, Adrian asked, "Hermione, when does school start?" "In three weeks," she replied, looking down at him with a slight smile, "but of course it doesn't start for you until next year." "That's unfair!" said Adrian, "I want to learn magic! Can't I learn now? What's wrong with now?" "You're not old enough Adrian," she replied, "not until next year. That's just how it is. I'm sorry." He made a face at her, "Oh fine." "Actually," interrupted Severus, thinking deeply, "he might be able to enroll early."  
  
Hermione and Adrian turned to look at him, "What?" asked Hermione. "He could enroll a year earlier," clarified Severus, "if he passes the Placement Test. If he can do that then he'll be qualified to enter this year instead of next year." Hermione frowned a bit, "Er..." "Oh that'd be cool!" said Adrian, "Can I try it?" Hermione looked back at him, "I...I don't...yes I suppose so," she finished finally. "YAY!" shouted Adrian, and McGonagall turned to give him a slightly reproachful look, although inwardly she was smiling.  
  
"I'll start studying right now!" cried Adrian, grabbing a roll and practically leaping out of his seat. "Adrian, let's finish dinner first, alright?" asked Hermione. He looked a little downcast, "All right." He went back to eating hurriedly, and Hermione turned to Severus, "Why did you tell him that?" she muttered. "Hermione, has it occurred to you that if both of us are teaching here at Hogwarts, then we'll have no way to make sure Adrian is all right?" said Severus softly. She blinked, "Yes it had, but I didn't know what we would do about i-" "Exactly," he replied, "there really isn't anything you can do about it. But if he's a student here then both of us can keep a close watch over him."  
  
Hermione nodded, "I see. Well I suppose I'd better help him study then. He's got a lot to learn. When does the Placement Exam occur?" "Usually a week before start-of-term," he said, "it's here, in the great hall." "Why wasn't I told about this when I entered?" she asked. "Because it's only been in existence for about five years," he said smoothly. "Oh. Well...okay."  
  
Snape's family manor was dark, gorgeous, and also towering; it was leviathan in size. Severus showed Hermione and Adrian to the library, whereupon Hermione almost passed out; thousands and thousands of books, ranging from Magical Weather Almanacs to Alchemy Today Magazines were everywhere. "Do you think you'll be able to obtain what you need from here?" asked Severus simply, knowing exactly what the answer would be. Hermione nodded slowly, eyes wide with shock, clearly still not entirely conscious. 'Leave it to Granger to get aroused over academics,' he thought with a snort.  
  
"Cool!" said Adrian loudly, climbing up one of the ladders leaning against the bookcases. "Adrian, come down from there! You might be hurt!" said Hermione. "He can't fall," said Severus from behind her, "they're all charmed. Even if he were to fall the area has a cushioning charm on it. It's impossible." "Oh," said Hermione, and somewhere in her own mind she marked him for that bit of genius. "This is cool Hermione!" cried Adrian, "Look at all the books!"  
  
"Adrian, you might want to come down now; I've got the books we need," she said, clutching several dusty volumes. "Oh, okay," he replied, leaping down the rungs of the ladder two at a time.  
  
The two of them sat down in squashy armchairs in front of a coffee table and Hermione cracked open Standard Book of Spells Grade 1, "Here we are," she said. She noticed Severus leaving, "Prof-er, Severus, are you leaving?" "Just for a while," he replied sleekly, "I'll be back later." The door shut and Adrian said, "What's the first thing I'm learning?" almost bursting with excitement.  
  
Severus entered the library to find that Adrian had disappeared; earlier he had seen him pass by, clutching his books, and apparently going to his room. Hermione was still in the armchair, and apparently she had fallen asleep, for she was slumped low, eyes closed, hair messily askew.  
  
Severus sat down in the armchair just occupied by Adrian and was about to pick up one of the books on the table when he heard, "No." Severus turned, "They're my books Miss Granger and if I want to I'll-" "Please no," groaned Hermione, "not them. They didn't do anything to you. Leave them alone. They're just Muggles. No please, no, don't, not that, anything but that...!" Severus froze; she was having a nightmare, and silently he suspected it was about her parents, who had been killed by Voldemort three years ago.  
  
"Please, don't do it! You sonofabitch! Leave them alone! No no no NO NO!" Severus leapt to his feet and shook her shoulders, "Hermione...Hermione wake up. Wake up." Her head stopped lolling, "What?" "You were having a nightmare," he said quietly. She looked up at him and winced; she was embarrassed, and looked away quickly, "Oh." She rubbed her arms as if she were freezing cold, and refused to meet his gaze for a minute. He sat down, and after a while asked, "How long have you been having the nightmares?"  
  
"A while," she mumbled, staring at a spot on the floor. "Every night?" "Usually. It's either about...about mum and dad or Dumbledore. One or the other." Severus felt as if he had just swallowed ice, "I see." "I really hate it," she muttered, "the fact that I can't stop dreaming about something that happened three years ago. Adrian's lucky. He didn't see them when they were killed. If he did...he'd probably be in St. Mungo's. Wouldn't be able to handle it. He's squeamish that way."  
  
Severus felt a jab of pain at remembering the Grangers; he had met them once at Grimmauld Place shortly after the first attack on them. They were good people; they were just harmless Muggles. "Hermione...if you need something to help you sleep..." "No, no, not to help me sleep," she said softly, "to stop dreaming. I hate dreaming. I used to dream about great things, like me working at Hogwarts or having a family or going somewhere with mum and dad. But now all I see are the...the stares." Severus shut his eyes for a minute; the stares she spoke of were those of the Killing Curse. The blank eyes. The open mouths. The horrified stares of death.  
  
"If you need something to stop the dreaming," he said, "I can do that. If ever you need it-" "I need it," she interrupted, "every night for the rest of my life. I need it." Somewhere deep down a part of Severus's heart broke at hearing that; he was the same way. "Alright," he said, standing up, "I'll make some for tonight. Just don't fall asleep until then." "I won't," she replied, rubbing her head and standing up, "I'll go check on Adrian or something. I shouldn't be by myself right now. Thank you, sir."  
  
She left the library and went down the hall to visit Adrian, and Severus swept off to the bowels of the manor to begin work on a Dreamless Sleeping Draught.  
  
Severus and Hermione slept in the same bed because, after the first night, when Lucius Malfoy had appeared in the fireplace, they both realized that if he caught them sleeping in separate rooms then he'd tell the Ministry and Adrian would be confiscated.  
  
At first this was an uneasy nighttime ritual, especially as occasionally Hermione had to wake him to snap at him for stealing all the covers. But eventually they got used to it and didn't bother sleeping on the very edges of the bed, trying to keep from interfering in each other's personal space. They just flopped down and went to sleep. It was that easy. Tonight, however, Hermione drank her Dreamless Sleeping Draught, and by the time she had finished drinking it she was already falling onto the bed. Severus caught the vial and placed it on the bedside table. She wouldn't wake up for the next several hours.  
  
He lay down on his side of the bed and turned off the lights with a snap of his fingers; the candles put themselves out. He was just falling off to sleep, the magical clock reading twelve, when he heard a whimpering. He sat up. It couldn't be Hermione. She was fast asleep from the Draught. It was coming from Adrian's room.  
  
He leapt to his feet and slipped out of the room, careful to be quiet, and knocked on Adrian's door a minute later, "Adrian?" "Help help!" cried the boy, muffled through the door. Severus bashed it open, wand ready, and found that the boy was completely alone, clutching his covers in fear. He looked from side to side; no, nobody was there. "What's the matter?" he said. "I had a...a nightmare," said Adrian, "I saw You-Know- Who."  
  
Silently Severus wondered how many nightmares Voldemort had caused young children to have, "Did you now? Well you know just as well as I that he's dead. It's all right." "I know, but it was scary," said Adrian, trembling a bit. Severus sat down on the foot of his bed, "You want to tell me about it?" Adrian nodded, "Well...f-first, I was in this circular room, and it had all these doors and torches. I went through the first door, and it lead to another room with this type of platform, and a doorway with a veil. The veil kept calling me forward, like it wanted me to walk through it, but I wouldn't. I was too afraid."  
  
Severus froze; that sounded just like how Black had died. Falling through some sort of a veil. Severus was yet to see it. But it was in the Department of Mysteries; he knew that much. He swallowed silently as Adrian continued, "And then...I...I found this mirror. And when I looked in it, I saw mum and dad and Hermione, but then I heard this cold laughter. I turned around...and...and there he was!" Severus thought on this; he didn't know much about the mirror part, but as for Voldemort... "What did he look like?" he asked.  
  
Adrian gulped, "He was tall, with red eyes, and slits for nostrils. And very white. Real white. Whiter than anything. And really long fingers, like white spiders. And he had this high cold laugh that made me feel horrible..."  
  
Severus felt as if someone had just plunged his head into a cauldron of freezing cold water, "Have you ever seen the Dar-, er, You-Know-Who before, Adrian?" "Oh no, no Severus, Hermione won't let me look in the books about him," said Adrian, shaking his head frantically.  
  
So the boy had never seen the Dark Lord, but somehow he'd given him a first class description of what he looked like. Something was wrong here. "Adrian, are you all right sleeping in here by yourself?" he asked. Adrian shrugged, "Yeah. Now that I'm awake...I feel better." "Okay," said Severus, "then you'll be able to go back to sleep?" "I think so," mumbled Adrian, still looking a little afraid. Severus picked up on his false tone, "How about I stay in here until you fall asleep?" Adrian looked up, "Okay, that sounds all right."  
  
Severus got up from the bed and sat down in the corner of the room by the door, said, "Goodnight, Adrian." Adrian smiled, "Goodnight Severus." He rolled over and turned off the light, and the room was bathed in darkness. For about twenty minutes, Adrian couldn't fall asleep, but finally, mercifully, Severus heard the child's snores. He waited a few more minutes, making sure that he was asleep, but unfortunately he couldn't muster the energy to get up; he too was asleep within minutes. 


	4. The Protectors

Chapter 4: The Protectors  
  
Hermione woke up at around nine o'clock to discover that Severus was gone. She got up slowly and stretched, silently thanking him for the night of peaceful sleep, and she washed her face to help her awaken. Finally she got dressed and went out into the hallway; no one was there.  
  
She knocked on Adrian's door a minute later, "Time to get up Adrian!" she said, opening the door quickly. It slammed into something and a minute later a loud groan followed. She almost jumped out of her skin, and flipped the door back to see that Severus Snape was sitting in the corner of the room, and now his nose was bleeding freely.  
  
Adrian laughed, then stifled it, realizing that his newest relation now had a bloody nose. "What on earth are you doing back there?!" cried Hermione, helping Severus up. He leaned his head back to stem the tide of the blood, and his words were nasal and barely understandable, "I ca' im heeah las' nigh' oo heck on Adria'. Ee 'ad a nigh'mayah." "Oh, I wish I'd known! I would have come in here!" Adrian grinned, "It's alright Hermione, I was okay. I just dreamed something really bad is all."  
  
"I heed ice," interjected Severus, voice still muffled. "Yes of course! Ice!" muttered Hermione, running out of the room.  
  
She returned a few minutes later to discover that Adrian had retrieved some tissues for Severus, and they were covered with blood. "Here," she said, clutching several cubes of ice in a washcloth. He put it on his nose, "Hank you." "Oh I'm so sorry," she said emphatically, "I didn't know you were back there." "I ho," he grumbled, walking down the hall and seating himself in the library, head still all the way back.  
  
"Is there anything I can do sir?" she asked, feeling terrible. "Ho, hank you," he replied, "unhess you ca' hake huh 'leeding shop." "Make the bleeding stop?" she clarified. "Yesh," he replied, "hake huh 'leeding shop." She thought for a moment, then pulled his hands away from his bleeding nose, "Helio!"  
  
Golden light showered from Hermione's wandtip, and after a few minutes Severus was capable of speaking clearly, and he pulled away the ice pack, "Thanks," he muttered. "I really am sorry sir," she said guiltily, "I wish you'd woken me up. I would have taken care of Adrian." "It's all right," he replied, "you were asleep and I didn't want you to wake up. Besides, I found out something interesting about his nightmare." She sat down beside him as he magicked the ice pack away, "What's that?" "Last night he was complaining about a nightmare that he said he found quite scary. He described a circular room with lots of torches, and when he went through one of the doors he came upon a room with a dais of some sort. It had a doorway with a veil on it."  
  
Hermione swallowed, "That sounds like-" "I know," said Severus, "and it gets more interesting. He described to me in almost exact detail how the Dark Lord looks. Everything down to the red eyes and white skin. It was as if he'd actually seen him." "But he couldn't have seen him!" said Hermione fearfully, "I mean, I've never let him look in the books about him! And I've most certainly never told him!" "I know this Hermione," he said stoically, "which is why I already have a theory regarding...regarding your brother."  
  
Hermione said nothing, fearing the worst, as he continued, "It's quite possible that...that the Dark Lord is still alive, and if he is, then he could be communicating to other people via Legilimency." "Legilimency..." muttered Hermione, "...didn't Harry..." "Yes, Potter learned how to block Legilimency by learning Occlumency. The Dark Lord was invading his thoughts at night, when he was most susceptible to his presence. But I don't understand why it would be that the Dark Lord would take an interest in your brother unless..." he trailed off.  
  
Hermione waited with bated breath, "Unless...what?" "Unless...I'm not sure," he finished, "I suppose it could be any number of things. It could be that you're his sister. It could be that I'm here. It could be how close he is with Potter and Weasley. It could be anything."  
  
Hermione swallowed, "I see. Then...then you think he's still alive?" "I do," replied Severus softly, dreading it himself, "but I'm not entirely certain. Not just yet. I have to investigate this a little further. I might even make a stop at Lucius Malfoy's mansion..." "No! Not Malfoy! Don't see him about it!" she cried, "Don't go to him!" Severus was silent for a minute, "You really hate him don't you?" "With every fiber of my being," she muttered, "he's an insolent bastard. I'd rather die than have his help." "Would you also rather Adrian die as well?" Her head snapped up to look at him, "No." "Then we have little choice," replied Severus, "I'll go on my own. There's no need for you to go. You stay here and keep close watch over your brother."  
  
He got up slowly, still aching slightly from sitting in that corner all night, "I'll pay him a visit this afternoon. Until then I think I might lie down for a while on something softer than a carpet." She smiled sardonically, "Do you want me to wake you?" "No, I'll be fine," he said, "just leave me undisturbed for the next few hours. I'll be up in time for lunch." Hermione shrugged and watched as he left, silently thanking him a thousand times for everything he had done for her and Adrian so far.  
  
The day passed slowly, and some part of Hermione was dreading Severus's visit to Malfoy's estate, but nothing she said could stop him from going. Adrian was completely unaware of the danger, and he went to study in the library while Hermione tried to beg Severus not to go. "I don't trust him," she said firmly, "and even though...I mean I've given it some thought and...you shouldn't go. Not because of us. You've done enough for us already. If anyone should go then it should be me." "Hermione, I have no doubt that if you were to go you would probably never come back. Lucius Malfoy has no remorse for those whom he resents," replied Severus as he put on his cloak.  
  
He strode to the door and opened it, intent on leaving when she grabbed his arm, "Sir, please, don't go." He jerked his arm away stiffly, "You can hardly stop me, Miss Granger. So don't bother trying." He left, and Hermione gritted her teeth in anger; if the stupid old man wanted to be stubborn then fine, let him be stubborn.  
  
She slammed the door shut and turned to go to the library, intent on thinking about him no more, but periodically, as she helped Adrian study, her mind drifted back to him, wondering if Malfoy had done something horrendous to him. "Hermione? Hermione? What's wrong?" asked Adrian, shaking her shoulder. "Hmm? Oh, nothing, just thinking," she replied, looking down at the open book before her. "Now, Levitation Spells," she said, setting her jaw firmly, "let's get back to it."  
  
It was almost one o'clock in the morning. Hermione had waited up the entire time, pacing back and forth in the library, and occasionally ducking her head out into the foyer to check if perhaps he had shown up without her knowing it. Still no sign of him.  
  
She was just about to go to bed when she heard a hacking noise from the bedroom, and she ran in to discover Severus coughing and slumped over a chair; he had come via Floo Network, and he looked badly beaten. "What happened?!" she cried, helping him to the bed and sitting him down. "Oh, nothing," he muttered sarcastically, baring his teeth with pain, "just Malfoy having a little fun. The usual." Hermione swallowed as she pulled back his cloak to expose two terrible slashes in his shirt, where two wounds, red and gaping, were bleeding freely. "Today's just not your day is it?" she said quizzically as she magicked some bandages out of thin air. "I don't think so, no," he grimaced as she gingerly removed his shirt and began to bandage up the wounds.  
  
"I told you not to go," she muttered, "this is what I was afraid of." "Yes, well, the fact of the matter is that OUCH! WATCH IT!" "Well don't move so much!" she snapped, tightening the bandages, "As you were saying?" "Yes, the fact of the matter is that I learned quite a bit from Malfoy. More so than what we would have learned had we just stayed in the house and twiddled our thumbs." "That being what?" she asked, draping his torn shirt carelessly over a nearby chair.  
  
He shifted uncomfortably and lay down on the bed, breathing slightly shallower than usual, "Malfoy had a reason for putting Adrian in an orphanage." Hermione froze, "My brother is involved?" "Unfortunately yes," he replied, wincing, "Malfoy knows where the Dark Lord is. I think he's helping him back to life. Should have guessed as much; I was always rather certain that the Dark Lord couldn't die..." "What about my brother?" interrupted Hermione. He glanced at her and winced, and Hermione now noticed that he had a cut above his eye that was just beginning to bleed.  
  
She magicked a bowl of murtlap from the air and tore off a piece of spare bandage and dabbed at his eye; he let out a sigh of relief. "Your brother," he began, "is deeper in this than I realized. Malfoy told the Dark Lord about him; told him that you were a relation to him, and the Dark Lord knows that you are a powerful witch. He wants your brother." Hermione's stomach dropped, "What?" Severus sat up slowly, but held her gaze steadily, "He knows your brother is going to become a powerful wizard. He's trying to communicate to him. Trying to get him on their side."  
  
Hermione felt her hands shake slightly, "Really." He nodded painfully, "So it sounds to me like he'll need Occlumency lessons the same as Potter needed them. He can't keep going to sleep unprotected like that. And he'll have to pass the Placement Exam; he can't be here by himself. If he doesn't pass that exam then he'll be alone more than either of us would like. He has to be at Hogwarts or he won't have a chance of safety."  
  
Hermione felt the urge to leap out of her chair and run down the hall, to knock on Adrian's door and demand that he study for the exam, but found that she could only sit there, staring at Severus blankly, as if he weren't even there. "Look," said Severus, sitting up and leaning against the headboard of the bed, "he can't get to Adrian if he's well protected. I'll start him on Occlumency lessons first thing tomorrow. And then you can help him study. I'll speak to Minerva about early enrollment and-" "Yes, that'll be fine," said Hermione, feeling bland and blank.  
  
Severus could see there would be no getting through to her tonight, "I'm going to bed. I'm hurt and exhausted. I suggest you do the same." He slumped down and his breath hitched with slight pain, then returned to normal. Hermione slowly moved to her own side of the bed and laid down, feeling shocked and terrified for Adrian. The boy could never know what peril he was in...ever. It would be too risky. Instead they would have to watch his every move.  
  
The lights went out, and Hermione heard Severus shift in the bed uncomfortably. Hermione lay in silence for a while, waiting to hear his characteristic snores, but when they did not come she knew he was just as deep in thought as she was. "I think," she said after a while, "that I know what that mirror was that Adrian saw in his dreams." "What was it?" murmured Severus. "The Mirror of Erised," she replied quietly, "Harry told me about it in our first year. And I've seen it once before."  
  
"I have also seen it," replied Severus, "and it makes perfect sense that Adrian would have seen it. It would be in the Department of Mysteries by now. He would have seen it there. And considering the reflection..." "It was my parents," she muttered, "he saw my parents. That has to be it. He barely remembers either of them as it is, and for him to see them in the mirror..." "How old was Adrian when he...when your..." "When our parents died? He was about seven. He doesn't remember much of them, unfortunately. There are days when I wonder how sorry he is that they're gone. He couldn't be that worried about them considering he couldn't have remembered much of them to begin with. He didn't know them like I did."  
  
She was silent for a moment, "I don't know. I hope he never forgets them. But there are days when...when he just seems so happy. Like he can't remember life with anyone else besides me. Like it's always been just me. But it hasn't. There were two other people there with us. But he doesn't remember them." A tear streaked out of her eye and dropped silently onto her pillow, and she was glad he couldn't see her.  
  
She thought silently for a moment about what she herself had seen in the mirror; her own desires. Her own secret wish for her parents; the reflection of the thing she had dreaded losing the most. Her family. No wonder Adrian had seen them too. "It's strange," she whispered, "because I saw them too. And I felt as if I could never look away from the Mirror. Like I could stay there forever and just stare and stare away. Rot away in front of the Mirror. Just die." "Men have gone mad in front of that Mirror," said Severus, "the Headmaster told me once. About men that couldn't figure out if it was the future, the past, or somewhere in between. And they just waste away before the Mirror, trying to find a way into it."  
  
"When did you see it?" she asked quietly. "Many years ago," he replied, "when it was stored in the school. I happened upon it one evening. I couldn't stop staring at it. It was a terrifying feeling; like I'd never stop yet didn't want to stop." "What did you see?" she whispered. He was silent for a minute, "Goodnight, Miss Granger."  
  
He rolled over and spoke no more, and Hermione felt slightly guilty for asking; after all, it was a rather personal question. 


	5. Liebe

Chapter 5: Liebe  
  
The following morning Hermione was awakened at eight-thirty by a groaning on the left side of the bed. She rolled over blearily to see that Severus was trying to get up, although he was finding this difficult because of his bandaged wounds. "If you need help-" "I don't, thank you," he grumbled, sitting up painfully. "Suit yourself," she yawned, lying back down.  
  
Her eyes were closed for about a minute before she heard him fumbling across the room, and the distinctive thud of him falling to the floor. She leapt lightly to her feet and crossed the room, staring down at him, "Problem?" He glared at her from his spot on the floor, "Maybe."  
  
She bent over and helped him to his feet as painlessly as possible, then said, "You'll need to change those bandages you know. And murtlap. You'll need that as well." "Yes, thank you for pointing that out Miss Granger," he snapped. "Fine then," she said tartly, "you do it yourself. Have fun. I'm going back to bed." "I will," he retorted, stumbling into the bathroom, now slightly off kilter because of her lack of support.  
  
She heard him rummaging through the bathroom for a minute, and through the crack in the door saw him trying to put the bandages on himself. Naturally, he couldn't do it. The best he could manage was to get them halfway around before the pain stopped him. "Bloody hell," she said aloud, opening the door, "just shut up and let me do it." He opened his mouth for a sarcastic reply but she put a finger firmly over his lips, "Now Professor, if you say something, chances are you'll be regretting it in five minutes once you've realized that you cannot put bandages on without my help. So do me a favor and shelve your bloody pride and let me get this out of the way so that you won't die of a blasted infection!"  
  
His mouth clicked shut with a snap of his teeth, but he was still glaring at her as she wrapped new bandages around his waist. "Can't you stop glaring for one minute?" she said, glaring back at him once she was finished. "No," he growled. "Well I'm sorry, Severus, for trying to help you. I'll keep it in mind that I shan't do it ever again." She turned on her heel and left the bathroom in a huff, then sat down on her bed with her arms crossed, facing away from him.  
  
Severus sat there on the toilet seat lid for another minute, thinking, and finally he spoke, "Hermione...I'm not used to it." Her head moved only slightly, indicating that she was listening. "And there's not much I can do about it," he added softly, "that's just how it's always been. I just don't like you touching me." She stiffened, "Yes, God knows, what a horrible thing, for the Mudblood to touch the Pureblood..." "It's not like that!" he snapped, and she almost jumped, but kept still. "I'm not the Pureblood bastard that Malfoy is," he muttered, "I learned the difference years ago."  
  
"So you just don't want me touching you because you don't like me," she corrected nastily. "That's not it either Hermione!" he said angrily, "It's...I won't explain it." "Well I think you better," she said, standing up and striding to the doorway; she leaned against the frame, "if we're going to be married for the next two years then you might want to tell me flat-out what it is that I do that bothers you so I can stop. Then maybe I'll join the fun and tell you exactly what I think about you."  
  
Severus was silent for a minute, looking down at the floor of the bathroom, thinking deeply, until finally he spoke, "I'm not comfortable around you. At all. You make me very uncomfortable." She sniffed in a hurt manner, "Well you're no better. I try to be nice to you and half the time you treat me like a pestering little child. You give more respect to Adrian, whom you barely know, whereas I've been working for your respect for years and you treat me like shit." He almost winced at that one; it stung a little bit.  
  
"Come now sir, certainly you have a nice little sarcastic reply to that?" she said sardonically. He stood, and for a minute she thought that he might slap her or hit her or curse her or...something. But instead he walked through the door and did not look at her. She thought he was leaving until suddenly he spun around and leaned close to her; she was pressed against the frame, backing away from him in fear, until he said dangerously, "The truth is, Hermione, is that I'm the one that should be afraid."  
  
He went into the bedroom and grabbed a spare black shirt, then left, breathing still a little shallow from his wounds. Hermione stood there for a minute, thinking about this, then ran out into the hallway, "Hey wait a minute! Come back here! Don't just walk away from me!" she shouted, striding after him. He turned, "I'd rather not discuss this anymore Miss Granger, and I doubt it's healthy for you to badger me further." "I don't care," she said firmly, "I want to know what the hell you meant by that!"  
  
He glanced back at her as he continued to the library, "Nothing. Go away." She ran ahead of him and blocked his entrance to the library, "I'm not letting you in until you explain your words." He tried to shove her aside but she only shoved back, and it hurt for him to put too much pressure on his side. He stopped, and wearily, said, "Hermione, I really have no time for this sort of childish behavior." "That's good, as I have no time for yours," she replied tartly.  
  
His eyes narrowed on her, "You want to know what I meant? You really want to know? Be forewarned; once I start, that's it, there's no stopping, and you will not interrupt me." "Fine, go ahead," she said, crossing her arms and refusing to budge. He glared down at her, then finally spoke.  
  
"Have it your way then. You want to know what I meant by being afraid. Well here's the truth, since you want it so badly. I'm mortified that I might be falling in love with a woman who's going to divorce me in two years, and whom I shouldn't love anyway considering you're twenty-one years my junior. And I really don't have the will to put someone else through that sort of misery; being my wife is probably the worst thing that could ever happen to a woman, and I'd just as soon not ruin your life as I have my own. So I'd just as soon you leave me alone and keep a distance for the next two years so I can be left in peace. Hopefully I'll be able to suppress any feelings I have after a while. Don't open your mouth, Hermione, I told you I would not be interrupted. Now I want you to leave me alone for the rest of the day. I will be here in the library. Don't come in, don't knock, don't ask anything, just leave me alone. I won't go to bed till late tonight, and when I do, I expect that you will already be asleep or else. Now please go away."  
  
She tried to open her mouth again but a nasty glare shut it, and she allowed herself to be pushed aside, and a minute later the door gently clicked shut. Hermione felt her insides squirming; she really hadn't been expecting that, not at all. They had been married for a month or so now, and she had just been gradually getting closer to him ever since. He had never really given a hint or anything, although she had noticed that his attitude had lightened up considerably over the past few weeks. He was much more docile than before, when they were just teacher and student.  
  
Had they always been teacher and student? Yes of course. Nothing funny had ever happened. He'd never given any sign of anything prior to the marriage. But occasionally he would look at her with a different expression in his eyes that she found unreadable; she never could figure that out until now. But with it there, before her eyes, she saw it clearly. She had been a fool to pretend otherwise.  
  
Hermione walked down the hall slowly to Adrian's room, but did not knock. Instead she sat down, leaning against the wall, and thought hard for several minutes. She wasn't sure what to do about this; she had never been in such a strange situation before. Did she like him? Well yes, that was an easy question. He was smart, he was witty, and he was courageous; but likewise he could be an overbearing ass whenever he felt like it. 'Be honest with yourself Hermione, do you like him as more than a friend?'  
  
She thought on this for another minute, and silently began to list the things she liked about him.  
  
Funny. Intelligent. Quick-witted. Confident. Courageous. Good-looking.  
  
'Good-looking?!' she thought silently, 'When did that slip in there? Yes, the greasy hair and the hooked nose certainly are big attractions,' she thought sarcastically. 'Don't lie to yourself Hermione, you know perfectly well that he's not the hideous bat everyone makes him out to be. Besides, you've heard him in the shower; you know he washes his hair, it couldn't possible be greasy...and he can't really help his nose. Besides, it's not that big.' 'But the yellow teeth...?' said another part of her brain. 'Now that really is his fault,' the other half replied, and she almost laughed out loud.  
  
After several more minutes of internal debate, Hermione realized that perhaps she wasn't in love with him like he was with her, but she still liked him. A lot. Perhaps a crush. But not in love. No, that was too soon. She'd have to tell him that.  
  
Adrian awoke an hour later to find that Hermione was seated outside his room, thinking deeply, and he yawned, "Where's Severus?" "Oh," she said slowly, "he's busy today in the library. We can't go in there. We'll study in here today, all right?" "All right," he said, yawning even deeper.  
  
The day was mainly comprised of studying, as Hermione was desperate for Adrian to pass the Placement Exam, and by the end of the day they were beginning Standard Book of Spells Grade 2. Hopefully he'd pass. With any luck, at least; Adrian's thirst for knowledge was certainly propelling him.  
  
That night Hermione put Adrian to bed, then went to her own bedroom and got into her pajamas; she put out the lights and lay down. She would wait for Severus to return, and would not allow him to silence her this time. She waited patiently, until one o'clock, when finally she heard the door creak open; she kept still, pretending to sleep, her breathing even, and he fell for it.  
  
He entered silently and sat down on his edge of the bed slowly, then pulled off his shoes and slipped beneath the covers. He rolled over and faced away from her, expecting nothing but her even breathing, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He froze when he felt a hot kiss upon his cheek, "Severus...I'm not in love with you, but I still like you as more than a friend. That's not so bad, is it?"  
  
He rolled over to look at her, and she smiled at him reassuringly, "I really don't know if this is what I want, Hermione," he said softly, eyes clouded with thought, "I'd rather you not get involved with me." "Well too bad," she whispered, "because now you've got me whether you want me or not; we're married. We're going to be married for at least two years. You'll just have to deal with me."  
  
He turned away from her, "I'm tired. Leave me alone." Hermione stiffened, "You know, you can't keep ignoring me every time there's a problem you don't feel like dealing with. You did this before too, when I asked about the Mirror; I let that go, but you can't run away from this one. I'm here, and I'm not going away." "I never said I was ignoring you, Hermione," he muttered, still facing away from her, "I'm just tired. Now please let me sleep."  
  
Hermione lay back down, frustrated, and rolled over, facing away from him. She didn't know what else to do. Letting out a sigh, she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, which she found impossible, and did not fall asleep until hours later. 


	6. Accidental Discovery and the Studying in...

Chapter 6: Accidental Discovery and the Studying in Between  
  
Hermione awoke the next morning to discover that Severus was already gone, although the bed still felt slightly warm, and she knew he must have only just left. She glanced at the clock; it was nine-thirty. "I'm getting too used to all this sleeping in," she mumbled, standing up and stretching.  
  
She dressed quickly and splashed water across her face to wake herself, then went down the hall to wake Adrian. She discovered, however, that he was already up, and that there were voices talking back and forth. "But why do I have to learn Occlomissy thingy?" "Occlumency," said Severus carefully, "and you have to learn it because it is an important skill that every wizard should know. And it'll probably be on the Placement Exam." "Oh, okay!" said Adrian, "Then let's get started!"  
  
Hermione gritted her teeth; she knew Severus was lying about it being on the test. Occlumency was a difficult skill that most wizards never learned; the fact that Severus himself even knew Occlumency and Legilimency was a feat in itself. She listened outside the door for another twenty minutes or so, then finally decided it was best to leave them in peace, and she went to the kitchen to nick an apple.  
  
She ate in the library, walking along the shelves as she did so, gazing at the thousands of dusty volumes. She climbed up one of the ladders and pushed herself along the rows of books, glancing at each of them in passing, until she came to the end of the row. She noticed that this particular section was more dust-laden than the others, and she looked at the volumes carefully. They bore no names.  
  
Setting her apple core down on the shelf, skin down, she pulled out the first book and opened it. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized why this section hadn't been visited in years; it was Severus Snape's private family journals, books, and photo albums. This was none of her business. She should put this away.  
  
But her curiosity was dire, and she flipped past the first page of aged parchment to see the family crest embossed upon it. She went forward a few more pages, and saw a photo of Severus as a teenager at Hogwarts, and two adults whom, she guessed, were his mother and father, were standing behind him. The man had black greasy hair; the woman was beautiful but sad. She noticed that Severus didn't look remotely happy in the picture; he seemed to be edging more toward his mother than his father. His father only scowled at him and yanked him back to the center, where Severus continued to attempt to get away from him.  
  
Hermione flipped ahead a few more pages; here he was graduating from Hogwarts, and he looked only slightly happier than the earlier picture. She noticed he was still basically the same Severus Snape she knew, only he was slightly shorter, as was his hair.  
  
Hermione continued to look through the photo album for quite a while, having lost a sense of time, and did not move from her precarious position on the ladder rung until she heard someone clear their throat loudly. She let out a gasp of surprise and snapped the photo album shut, hastily trying to shove it back into its slot; instead she lost her balance, and fell backward from the ladder.  
  
She let out a yell of surprise and fear, terrified of the impact, the words 'Broken neck' ringing through her head, when she hit the floor and bounced off of it. "ARGHH!" she shouted, and a minute later she felt a pair of hands seize her from behind.  
  
She fell to the floor softly, and suddenly she remembered what Severus had told her about the floor being blanketed in a Cushioning Charm. Speaking of her husband, she looked up to see the man himself glaring down at her. "Having fun?" he growled. "I'm sorry," she said, looking away as she stood up, "I didn't...I didn't know that that section was your...was...was private." "Yet you continued to look anyway," he said, eyes flashing.  
  
Hermione stared at the floor, wringing her hands, "I did, yes. I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I just couldn't help it. I don't know anything about you." At this Severus considered her carefully, "If you wanted to know something about me you could have just asked." She looked up, "Oh. I just assumed that...that you-" "That I'd snap at you and take ten points from Gryffindor?" he quipped, raising an eyebrow. She blushed, "No, of course not."  
  
She sat down in one of the squashy armchairs by the fire, red embarrassment flushing her face. Severus sat down in the armchair next to her, and remained silent for a minute; finally he said, "Well, if there's anything you want to ask me, you might as well go ahead now that you've looked through my personal belongings." She winced, "I'm sorry." "I know you are; I'd just thought I'd rub it in as usual," he replied smoothly. She smiled, bordering a laugh, but remained calm, "Of course."  
  
They were both silent for a minute, then Hermione said, "Sir...what were your parents like?" He sat back slowly, considering this, then said, "I didn't like them, and they didn't like me. Well, my mother might have liked me a bit but my father hated me. And the feeling was mutual for my part." "Oh," she mumbled, trailing off, feeling uncomfortable. "You asked and I answered," he added, "if you want me to tell the truth then it's probably going to be a lot harder than you'd like it to be. I don't sugarcoat anything."  
  
"I know," she said quietly, "it's just that...that I..." "Yes?" he said quizzically. "I don't think you deserve that," she rushed, "I mean, I guessed from the album that you didn't like your parents, and that maybe they didn't like you, but I just...I don't think it's fair. You deserve better." He almost felt shocked at hearing that; most people just blew him off about his parents and acted like it was his own bloody fault that he was a git. "Maybe you would have turned out differently if your parents had been different as well," said Hermione softly, "I mean you turned out all right as it is but...you might not...I don't know. I don't know anymore. I shouldn't have asked. I'm a fool."  
  
Severus was about to reply when the door to the library opened, and in came Adrian. "Hullo!" he said brightly to Hermione, "I've just had Occlumency lessons with Severus!" "I know," smiled Hermione sadly, "I heard you. Did you have fun?" "Yeh! It's real interesting! This whole magic stuff has me positively gobsmacked!" Hermione let out a sigh, "That's good. We'll study some more after lunch, alright?" "Sounds fine to me," he said, flopping down on the floor next to her.  
  
Adrian seemed to notice that they'd both been in deep conversation, "What were you talking about?" "Nothing," lied Hermione, "just school." "Oh," said Adrian, "that's neat." "So," said Hermione, breathing deeply, "how about we go to Diagon Alley today for lunch?" Adrian leapt to his feet, "Really? Can we really?" She glanced at Severus, who nodded his approval, "Of course," said Hermione, "I haven't seen Florean Fortescue in quite a while, and I'm sure he'd love to visit with us again." Adrian grinned gleefully, "All right! When are we going?" "We can go right now I suppose," said Hermione, smiling plastically. "Okay, I'll go get ready!" said Adrian eagerly, bounding off to his room.  
  
She did not meet his gaze, "It'll be good to get him out of here for a little while," she spoke, "I know he's wanted to go to Diagon Alley for a while. Since our last trip, at least." "I know," said Severus.  
  
They both stood at the same time, and Hermione was glad when Adrian returned a few seconds later, and five minutes later they had Apparated to Diagon Alley. She kept a careful watch over Adrian, who wandered freely in the street, looking in all the windows eagerly, and when they arrived at Florean Fortescue's he looked at the menu with hungry eyes, "Ice cream!" "You have to eat a meal first," said Hermione reproachfully, "you can't live off of ice cream." "I'll bet I could," he mumbled unintelligibly.  
  
They ate in silence until suddenly Adrian, who had been observing Severus for quite a while, said, "How come you only wear black?" Hermione almost spat out her food, "Adrian!" Severus smirked, "Does the law require me to wear anything else?" Adrian thought on this for a minute, "Well no, but I was just wondering." "Because then I never have to worry about what I put on in the morning," he replied easily, "it makes it that much easier. And fashion is something I've never bothered with. It's too vain."  
  
Adrian was quiet, then, "Why?" Severus thought on this, "Because...it just is." "But why?" said Adrian. "Adrian, it really doesn't matter," said Hermione, "now let it alone." Severus smirked slightly at Adrian's downcast look, "You want me to wear something besides black?" he quipped. "No, I was just wondering," he murmured, trailing off. Severus laughed, surprising Hermione, "Suit yourself." Florean Fortescue surprised them a minute later with three free sundaes, and they thanked him many times over.  
  
They returned home an hour later as soon as Adrian was done goggling at the newest broom, the Sub Zero, and when they returned home Adrian and Hermione took to studying for the next few hours. After dinner, they began testing Adrian on the practical aspects of what he'd learned by asking him to demonstrate different spells.  
  
He performed spectacularly, and Hermione couldn't be prouder, "Very good Adrian! You'll pass the Placement Exam, I'm sure!" Severus observed him, "I think your sister's right. You're moving along quite well for someone your age. You should outperform even a second or third year easily." Hermione beamed at Adrian, and he grinned back happily, "Great! Are we still going to keep studying?" "Probably should, just in case," said Hermione, "we'll see how far we can get before the test." "Yay!" said Adrian, "I love this! This is great!"  
  
"Well for now I think we should retire," said Hermione, feeling exhausted, "we'll start up again tomorrow. If you want to read in your room for a bit go ahead, but I want you to be asleep by ten, right?" "I will, I promise," said Adrian, although Hermione had a feeling that he was going to keep on studying well into the night. She didn't protest, however, and a few minutes later she and Severus had adjourned to their room.  
  
"Do you really think he's that good?" murmured Hermione. "Yes," he said simply, "he shows great potential. If he doesn't pass that test I'll be surprised, especially at the rate he's going." "Oh good," Hermione sighed with relief. Severus didn't say anything and instead unbuttoned his shirt and looked closely at his wounds, then cut away the bandages. "Healed?" asked Hermione. "Close enough," he replied, buttoning his shirt again, "I feel better."  
  
"That's good," said Hermione, "I was worried. If you need help-" "I don't," he interjected, and she glared at him; he softened slightly, "I don't need help, but if I do...I'll ask." "That's better," she muttered.  
  
They were both asleep within the hour, feeling exhausted, and Hermione did not dream evil things for the first time in years. She felt good about herself when she woke up. She felt better than before. 'Maybe Severus slipped me something when I wasn't looking,' she thought sarcastically as she did her characteristic stretch.  
  
She padded to the hallway and down to the library; Severus was already there, reading a book, and she almost froze in shock. Instead of wearing a black shirt, he was a wearing a dark green shirt. "Er," she said slowly. "Morning," he muttered, not looking up from his book. Finally he realized that she hadn't moved, "What?" he said indignantly. "I...nothing," she lied, sitting down across from him.  
  
He picked up on the hint, "I just thought I'd do it to surprise Adrian," he grumbled, "just to be asinine, really." She nodded slowly, "Sure." "Oh come off it," he growled nastily, "it's not that big of a bloody deal." She shrugged and said nothing; maybe to him it wasn't, but to her it was the first time she'd ever seen him in anything besides black.  
  
A few minutes later Adrian emerged, a sleepy cloud of hair haloing his face, and he rubbed his eyes, "I'm so tired..." He noticed what Severus was wearing, and suddenly he giggled, "Just had to rub it in, didn't you?" Severus smiled slightly, "Yes." Adrian laughed, "I like it!" Hermione smiled at him, "You would. Why don't you get your books, and we'll study in here?" "Okay, lemme go get 'em!" he said excitedly, dashing back to his room.  
  
A minute later he had dumped all of his books upon the coffee table, and Hermione picked up Standard Book of Spells Grade 2 and flipped through it, "Let's see...where did we leave off..." "Shrinking Charms!" he said brightly. "Oh, right, of course," she said, chuckling, "here we are. Care to demonstrate?" Adrian pointed his wand at one of his books, "Clasia book!" The book shrank to the size of a coat button, "Very good," said Hermione, flipping forward another page.  
  
This continued on for some time, and Severus watched with mild interest until Adrian encountered a problem with the Summoning Charm. "I just can't seem to do it!" he said angrily, trying to Summon another book. "You're waving the wand wrong, here, watch," said Severus pulling out his own wand. He demonstrated, and Adrian let out an "Ohhhh," and performed it again.  
  
This time it worked. 


	7. Surprises

Chapter 7: Surprises  
  
Hermione watched eagerly from the entry way to the great hall; Adrian was seated inside it, quill ablaze on the parchment before him. She noticed that only five other students were taking the Placement Exam, and she silently hoped that Adrian would be one of the lucky few to get in.  
  
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Severus standing there, "Oh, hi," she whispered quietly, looking back in on Adrian. "Let him go for now," he said softly, "he'll be fine." She looked back at him, and her shoulders relaxed; "You're right, I should go find something to do," she muttered, thinking deeply.  
  
She shuffled off to the library, which had always been her safe haven in the past, and sat down at one of the large tables. Adrian had been on her mind a lot lately. Maybe it was worry; she couldn't be sure. 'What the hell does Voldemort want with him?' she thought silently, 'He's just a boy. He's too young to even begin to take sides yet.' 'But so was Harry,' said the other half of her brain, 'when Voldemort tried to kill him.'  
  
She shook her head rapidly; it was no good thinking about things like this. She should be reading, or making more lesson plans, or doing...something. But everything that needed to be done was done; Arithmancy would be an easy subject for her to teach. She was wringing her hands slightly; finally she stood up and pulled a book off the shelf; it didn't really matter what it was so long as it was something to read.  
  
She put the book down and it flopped open, and there she saw a picture of Voldemort. She slammed it shut and put it back in its slot. The last thing she needed was to read about the thing that had made her life a living hell. Instead she pulled down another book, this time a safer one, about Potions, and she began to read.  
  
"Miss Granger, may I see you for a moment?" said Professor McGonagall. Hermione looked up, "Yes of course." She stood and followed McGonagall out into the hallway just outside the library, "Yes?" McGonagall smiled primly, "Your brother has just finished his Placement Exam." "And?" she said excitedly. "He passed it, and exceptionally so," she added. Hermione let out a nervous laugh, "Oh thank goodness. I was so worried." "I knew you were, Miss Granger, but here's what I came to talk to you about. Adrian has done so well that we could place him in third year."  
  
Hermione froze, "What?" "He outscored the majority of second years and even some third years," clarified McGonagall, "both practically and orally. Truly it's unbelievable that he's a ten year old. His aptitude for knowledge outstrips any student I've ever been privileged to teach." Hermione thought on this, "So...are you going to place him in third year?" "I don't know, Miss Granger, because if I do then he will certainly be an outcast because he is so young. But if we don't, then he'll be bored to tears for the next two years because he's already learned everything there is to learn for first and second years."  
  
McGonagall was silent for a minute, then said, "Miss Granger...I'll leave it up to you. Let me know tonight what your decision is; it's between challenging him or putting him with those he would be the most comfortable with. Talk it over with him; it's as much his decision as it is yours." McGonagall nodded at her formally then left Hermione there in the hall, deep in thought.  
  
Finally Hermione snapped out of her stupor and dashed off to the dungeons, knocking on Severus's office door. "Enter," said a stiff cold voice. She did so, and he relaxed slightly, "Results are in, I take it?" Hermione sat down in front of his desk, "Yes, and that's the problem. Adrian scored high enough to be placed in third year." Severus almost did a double take, "What?" "He's too smart to be in the first or second year," she said, "but the thing is, if he's in third year-" "He won't have any friends his own age; he'd be by himself," finished Severus.  
  
She nodded, "McGonagall told me I could make the decision, but I don't know what's best for him! I mean, if he's in first or second year he'll be bored out of his mind, but if he's in third year...!" "I see the dilemma," replied Severus, sitting back, deep in thought. After about five minutes of this he said, "Put him in third year. He won't have as many friends because he's so young, but if he's in third year he'll learn. He needs to learn; he needs to be able to protect himself from the Dark Lord, should anything arise." Hermione shifted uncomfortably; she hadn't thought of it that way, "You...you really think so?"  
  
"Hermione, if you had been the one to score that high on the Placement Exam, what would you have done?" She let out a sigh, "Gone straight into third year." He nodded, "Then there's your answer. Of course, you should mull it over with Adrian first before you act." She nodded, "You're right sir. Thank you." She got up to leave, and he added, "By the way, you might want to remind Adrian that we have Occlumency lessons on Thursday nights." "I'll do that," she responded vaguely, exiting the office in haste.  
  
Severus sat back, deep in thought, and remained so for a long time.  
  
"Hermione I passed!" shouted Adrian, hugging her happily. "I know, I heard!" she said, smiling at him. "Here, look at my paper!" he said eagerly, shoving it into her hands. She looked down at it; no points had been marked off. Unbelievable. "Very good, Adrian," she said simply, "the Headmistress has already been to speak to me, you know. She told me you have quite a dilemma on your hands." "Why's that?" he asked. "Well...Adrian, you did so well on the exam that you could be placed in third year." He thought on this for a minute, "Why is this a dilemma?" She laughed then shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe because if you're in third year then you won't be with any friends your own age."  
  
"Oh," said Adrian, "but I get to learn more though right?" "That's correct, yes," she replied. "Then who cares?" he said, "Sounds fine to me! When do I get Sorted?" She laughed again at his carefree manner, "I don't know, I'll have to speak with the Headmistress. Until then, why don't you go down to the dungeons and tell Severus?" "Okay!" he said excitedly, bounding off to the dungeons.  
  
She smirked, then went into the great hall; the six desks had been cleared away, and Hermione saw that McGonagall was seated at the High Table, writing on several aged pages of parchment. "We're putting him in third year," said Hermione once she was nearer to the table. McGonagall looked up, unsurprised, "An excellent choice. But he'll need to be Sorted. I'll bring the Sorting Hat down to the dungeons this evening. You and Severus are entitled to watch, of course." Hermione nodded, "Thank you, Headmistress."  
  
She turned to leave, then McGonagall said, "Hermione...you're free to call me Minerva." Hermione turned back, "That's right, I'm a teacher now. Thank you, Minerva. I appreciate it." Minerva smiled at her, and Hermione went back down to the dungeons to tell them the news.  
  
Severus, Hermione, and Adrian waited in the Potions classroom after dinner, and Adrian was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "So what happens? How do I get Sorted?" Hermione vaguely remembered Ron telling her years ago that Fred had told him you had to fight a troll to get Sorted, and she almost laughed. "Don't worry about it," she said, "it's very simple. Just wait and see." Adrian let out a groan of disappointment, and continued to pace back and forth across the room with nervousness.  
  
Half an hour later, Minerva emerged carrying the tattered Sorting Hat. "Hello Mr. Granger," she said formally, shaking his hand, "take a seat over here, if you please." Adrian sat down on one of the tables, eyeing the Hat nervously. McGonagall placed it upon his head and spoke, "Granger, Adrian!"  
  
The hat did not move, but Hermione could tell that it was speaking to him, for his eyes darted about nervously, as if wondering where the voice was coming from. He sat there for at least ten minutes, the hat whispering into his ear, when suddenly the tear at the brim that was the mouth of the hat spoke.  
  
"SLYTHERIN!"  
  
Hermione let out a gasp of shock, "What?" Minerva flinched but removed the Hat promptly, "Thank you Mr. Granger. Your living arrangements will be made tomorrow." Hermione almost cried out, "Wait, put it back on his head! Try it again!" but said nothing, finding her throat too dry. She did notice, however, that Severus was smirking slightly.  
  
"Oh I'll bet you love that don't you?" she said sarcastically. He shrugged, "I have no control over it. I just find it interesting that the brother of the know-it-all Gryffindor has been Sorted into Slytherin." Adrian looked back and forth at them curiously, and finally Hermione said, "Don't worry about it Adrian. Congratulations. I'm sure you'll enjoy being in...Slytherin, for the next five years." Minerva suddenly cleared her throat, and Hermione looked at her, "You'll need to bring his things here by next week so they'll be waiting for him in his room. In the mean time, I can show him to his quarters in a few minutes as soon as he picks them out. And make sure he has all the proper third year books; I have a list here, if you need them." "No need," replied Hermione, "we already have them. Thank you, Minerva."  
  
She nodded primly and gave Adrian a slight smile, and he followed her out of the dungeon, smiling happily. Hermione made an odd noise, "Well...so...it's all taken care of." Severus nodded, "I suppose so." She let out a sigh, "I never would have thought he'd be in Slytherin." "The Sorting Hat has its ways," muttered Severus, and she almost asked him what that meant, then tactfully decided not to.  
  
She turned to face him, "Do you think it wise that he be in Slytherin?" "Of that I'm not certain," he replied slowly as he thought, "at least I'll be able to keep an eye on him without much trouble. But Adrian being with other third year Slytherins could present a problem." "Even you admit to him being in Slytherin as a problem," she retorted. "No, not him being in Slytherin; him being with third year Slytherins. They're made jealous easily, and I suspect that they won't take to him too well at first, especially once they know you're his sister."  
  
Hermione ground her teeth in frustration; she knew he was right, but she didn't want to admit it. "There's not much we can do about it though," he added quietly, "there's no real way to hide it, and what I fear most is that it's impossible to hide from the Dark Lord." She stiffened; if Voldemort knew he was in Slytherin... "Maybe we should ask Minerva if he could be Sorted again-" "Impossible," he replied, "once the Hat has Sorted a student, they remain in that house. They are immobile and may not be moved." Hermione let out a snort of anger and she balled her fists, "The last thing I need is for Voldemort to know that my brother is in his house!"  
  
She saw him wince, not at the sound of Voldemort's name, but at her reference to Slytherin as "his" house. "I'm sorry," she said, regretting her earlier words, "I know that not everyone that comes out of Slytherin is bad, but-" "But all the wizards that ever went bad were in Slytherin, and unfortunately that's a fact I have to live with," he said.  
  
Without a second thought she took hold of his hand and squeezed it, "I'm glad you turned out all right, Severus. Without you I wouldn't have anybody." Those last words slipped out without her meaning for them to, and she waited for a characteristic reproach, but instead he merely clutched her hand tightly and muttered embarrassedly, "Thank you."  
  
She looked up at him and noticed that his eyes seemed distant, and for a minute she knew, with shock, that he was feeling insecure and worried, which was the exact opposite of how she had always thought of him. Silently she wished she knew how to make it better, then realized that the answer was, literally, staring her in the face.  
  
She put a hand on his neck and pulled down swiftly, and she kissed him deeply; he let out a muffled noise of surprise, then relaxed into the kiss. A minute later she was looking into his eyes, "Severus...you don't know what you mean to me." He looked for lies, for insincerity, for falsehoods, but all he found was truth, and for a split second he was thunderstruck. She smiled at him understandingly, "You might think you know me, but you don't."  
  
She slipped away from him quickly and walked toward the door, intent on leaving, then threw him one last smile; a minute later she had disappeared, presumably to find her brother. Severus stood there blankly for over a minute, then sat down slowly at his desk; and for the rest of the night, his mouth was frequented by a dizzied smile. 


	8. Trust

Chapter 8: Trust  
  
It was late October when Severus entered their chambers looking harassed, "What's the matter?" asked Hermione. "Malfoy's just paid me a visit in my office," he muttered. "Oh," said Hermione, "what did he say?" He sat down on the bed and thought for a minute, then sighed, "Almost more than I wish I knew. The Dark Lord's back to full strength; the Death Eaters are meeting. Tonight."  
  
Her stomach felt as if it had frozen, and she clutched his arm, "Don't go. Don't do it. I can't let you go; it'd be suicide." "Not necessarily," he said, sounding worn-out, "I have my ways of getting back in. Besides, Malfoy's put in a good word for me ever since I...I married you." She ignored that for the moment, said, "What time tonight?" "Nine," he replied, "it's going to be all night. I might not be back in time for class tomorrow morning." "Tomorrow's Saturday, Severus," she said weakly, "don't worry about it."  
  
He shrugged and said, "I have to start getting ready. He'll call us shortly." "Do you...do you really have to go?" she whispered, afraid for him. He nodded slowly, "Yes." "Why?" "Because it's what I have to do," he said firmly, standing up, "and the conversation is closed. I have to get ready now. Keep an eye on Adrian. I'll be back some time in the next day or so."  
  
Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, looking down, but said nothing; she really didn't want to be married to a corpse. A hand touched her shoulder, and she opened her eyes to see that he had knelt down to her eye level, "I'm coming back. I always do." "I never said you wouldn't," she said wryly; he smirked, "No, but you were thinking it. I'll be back later."  
  
He turned and swept out of the room, and Hermione knew he was leaving the grounds to Apparate. She stared at the door for a long time, feeling tears brimming in her eyes, and finally she fell back onto the bed and sobbed aloud. Voldemort was killing everything she loved; first her parents; now he was going to take Severus away from her.  
  
And silently she knew, deep down, that her brother would be next.  
  
"Not Adrian," she said out loud, "not him. Not him or Severus. Over my dead body." 'I'm sure he'd love to arrange that,' said the one half of her brain. She sat up slowly and wiped away some of her tears, and tried to think of something wonderful, something happy, but found she could not do it. She just hated Voldemort too much to think straight.  
  
Slowly she lay down on the bed and pulled the covers over her, still fully dressed, but she didn't care; she stared at the canopy for over an hour before sleep began to blur her eyes, and she slipped into a warm balmy darkness.  
  
It was four in the morning, and Hermione awoke at the sound of a thump. She leapt out of bed, wand clutched in her hand, and slowly she opened the bedroom door to discover that Severus was staggering to get up from the floor.  
  
She let out a cry of surprise mixed with horror and helped him up and into the bedroom, where she lay him down. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he grumbled, "I'm just exhausted. Just let me sleep." "You're not hurt at all?" she asked worriedly. "No, I'm fine," he said, "I'm just so tired I can barely-" He yawned, "-Can barely see straight. Just let me sleep, please." She nodded, "All right."  
  
She went around to her side of the bed and was about to ask him what happened when a loud snore interrupted her. She glanced at him; for once he wasn't concealing the truth from her. He really was tired. 'And thank God that's all,' she added silently, slipping underneath the covers. She put out the lights, and a minute later, she too was ensconced in sleep. 


	9. L'Amour

Chapter 9: L'Amour  
  
December. They had made it to December. This thought echoed through Hermione's head frequently; Adrian had successfully adapted to the third year students, and enjoyed a tight circle of friends. A little too tight, even, or so Hermione thought. She expressed this worry to Severus one evening in his office, "I'm glad he has his friends, but they're always together." "Much like you, Potter, and Weasley," he muttered, not looking up from his desk, where he was grading papers. "Yes, well, we were different." "How so?" She let out a sigh of frustration, "We weren't in Slytherin and Voldemort wasn't after us!"  
  
He looked up and gave a large roll of the eyes, and finally she admitted, "Well maybe Voldemort was after us, but still, I don't like Adrian's friends. They might bring him nearer to the trouble we've worked so hard for him to avoid." "And what'll you do?" he cut her off, "Will you tell him to stop being friends with them? You honestly think the Dark Lord won't find that suspicious?"  
  
Words failed her, but finally she spoke, "I know, I know. But...what do we do then?" "Nothing," said Severus simply, "we do nothing. If we were to act it would jeopardize too much; the Dark Lord would know we've been protecting him." Hermione shifted uncomfortably; then a thought struck her, "Severus...you're...you're still in his Inner Circle, aren't you?" He went back to grading papers, "Yes." "What did you tell him? I mean, how did you excuse the fact that you married me? Didn't he find that odd?"  
  
His quill paused on the parchment, and finally he looked up at her. "There's really no need for you to know about that," he said easily, acting as if this were no problem whatsoever. Her eyes narrowed, "Yes, you're right, of course; you endangering yourself on my behalf is really none of my business, what the hell was I thinking?" He frowned at her sarcasm, "Since it bothers you so, I'll tell you." He put down his quill and shifted in his chair, sitting back, "The Dark Lord, Hermione, if you must know, has been interested in you for several years. He's watched you carefully in the past because you're so close to Harry, but also because of who you are."  
  
"And who am I?" she said tartly. "An extremely powerful witch he'd just as soon not have to deal with," he replied, "and whether you like it or not, your brother is going to be a much more powerful wizard than you or I. It's already noticeable. And unfortunately, the Dark Lord has seen this. Regardless, his gaze has been fixed upon you for some time; he knew of the plight you suffered with Adrian. Marry a wizard of age or move in with a relative. That's why he ordered Malfoy to speak with you on the matter; he wanted to find out if you were engaged in any way. If not, then Adrian would go to an orphanage, and the Dark Lord would have his hands on the first of the Granger siblings.  
  
"However, his plans were considerably altered when he met his demise at the end of last year; he did, however, make mention that he would be more than thrilled if I were to somehow use my powers of persuasion to convince you to marry me. Malfoy was against that plan entirely because he thought you would never fall for it, but then the Underage Wizardry Decree changed all that. Suddenly you needed a husband, and Malfoy explained this to the Dark Lord whom, I know now for certain, had been under Malfoy's close care for the past several months. After a month or so of indecision, the Dark Lord told Malfoy to convince me to let you alone so that he could get his hands on Adrian once he was in the orphanage." "So did you marry me to help Voldemort?" she asked flatly. "No!" he exclaimed, outraged, "Have you learned nothing since you've been in my company? I married you to protect you and Adrian both!"  
  
"Won't he find out, sooner or later? That you did it not for him but for us?" asked Hermione. "More than likely, yes, but I don't care much since it doesn't matter at the moment." "But surely it will sooner or later," said Hermione hesitantly, "he'll order you to kill me or take my brother or...or do...well...something, certainly." "This is probable, yes," he replied, "but with any luck he'll be dead by then." She thought on this for a minute, then said, "So why did you marry me if Voldemort told you not to?" she asked. "Because I told Malfoy that it'd be better if I were to marry you so I could keep an eye on both of you. He managed to convince the Dark Lord of this despite the fact that Malfoy himself thinks this an error."  
  
"Do you think he suspects?" "It's possible, but not probable," he said, "he's too busy with the Dark Lord to really worry about me at the moment." Hermione was silent, then, "So...is he...is he at the Malfoy estate?" "I think not," said Severus, "that would be the obvious place, and the Dark Lord never goes with the obvious. He goes with the devious." Hermione let out a frustrated sound, "Too bad we can't just find him and kill him." "I'm not certain he can be killed," muttered Severus beneath his breath. Hermione, though, picked up on it, "Well if he can't be killed then there's got to be a way to at least trap him or imprison him. Nobody's infallible."  
  
He didn't voice his thoughts, and merely continued to think, until finally Hermione said, after much hesitancy, "Severus...have you...do you..." He looked up, "Yes?" She looked across the room as if searching for the right words, "Have you been...have you enjoyed...us...being together?"  
  
He didn't say that his feelings for her hadn't changed since he had first explained them to her; he suspected she already knew that. Instead he said, "Hermione...what do you think?" Her eyes did not leave his, and finally she nodded slowly. A slight smile flickered on his face, "Then I don't need to answer." Hermione felt her heart bubble slightly, and she looked away, red in the face, "I...I love you." Severus felt as if he'd burst, but kept cool, "I love you too."  
  
Hermione stood up abruptly, "I...er...I'd better go check on Adrian. I said I'd visit with him. I'll...I'll see you later." She left quickly, and he almost laughed at her embarrassment, then remembered his own, and, flushing, went back to grading papers. 


	10. Family Frustrations

Chapter 10: Family Frustrations  
  
The snow was melting from the front lawn of Hogwarts. "Jesus," muttered Hermione, "where has the year gone?" It was already April, and Adrian, thankfully, was excelling at an enormous rate in school. The other students whom had once begrudged him because of his age were now begrudging him because of his knowledge, and they no longer criticized him. And he took it with all grace and understanding; much more so than Hermione would have had it been her in that position.  
  
She remained concerned, however, when one day she caught Adrian and his friends in the library reading some books on the Dark Arts. She ordered them out of the library and asked Madam Pince to alert her should it happen again. She was growing more and more worried.  
  
Her concern grew even more when Adrian started talking back to her. He had done so in the past, but not to this extent; whenever he visited her in her office, which was becoming rarer and rarer now, he rolled his eyes frequently or muttered things beneath his breath. Finally she got fed up with it, "Adrian, what the hell is the matter with you?" He looked up, "Nothing," he lied. "Don't lie to me, I'm not stupid," she snapped, glaring at him. He said nothing, and finally she spoke, "If you don't like hanging around with me anymore then tell me. I can't stand a liar."  
  
His eyes met hers, and she noticed now that they had darkened considerably, "I'm not a liar." "Well I can't help but notice how sarcastic and overbearing you've become," she snarled, "now that you have your little Slytherin friends. Let me tell you something right now, Adrian, because even though you already know this, I'm saying it anyway for good measure; there's not a witch or wizard that went bad that wasn't in Slytherin. You should keep that in mind when you're plotting with your friends. Don't forget who your real enemies are." "Don't worry, I won't," he said, shooting daggers at her.  
  
She felt exasperated inside but didn't let it show, "Voldemort is after you, Adrian. Severus and I never bothered to tell you because we didn't want you to worry, but it looks like now is as good a time as any to tell you. He's been after you for the past year, and we've been trying to keep you safe." Adrian winced at the sound of Voldemort's name, but his eyes grew wide when she told him this, "Why didn't you tell me before?" "Because you're eleven years old, Adrian, and now's not a good time for you to deal with that, is it? You're an eleven year old boy in third year Adrian; not first, but third, and you're in Slytherin. I don't like this situation one bit, and the last thing you need to worry about is whether or not Voldemort is waiting in the shadows somewhere."  
  
He bared his teeth with anger, "You mean...you didn't tell me...because you think...that I'm...that I'm too young? You and Harry and Ron went after the bloody Sorcerer's Stone your first year and you're telling me off?!" "I'm not telling you off Adrian I'm-" "SHUT UP!" he shouted, and Hermione fell silent in surprise. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! I'm so tired of you always acting like I'm just a stupid little child who doesn't know any better! Well you know what, I know the Dark Lord is dangerous, okay?! I know all of that already! And I do remember mum and dad, whether you think I do or not, so stop trying to bring it up! I'm not a kid anymore so shut up and leave me alone!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.  
  
Hermione didn't protest when he ran out of the office, shaking with rage and disappointment, and Hermione could only sit there, stunned. Was he telling the truth? Had she really been treating him like a child this whole time? She always thought that she'd treated him fairly but...she'd never meant offense. But what he'd said about treating him like a kid... 'You were never a sister to him Hermione,' said her brain, 'you were always trying to be like your mother, trying to help him, talking down to him. You should have been a sister.'  
  
"What happened?" said a voice. She didn't need to look to know it was Severus. She couldn't manage to say anything. He said, "Adrian just ran past me; he didn't say anything, but I could tell he was upset."  
  
When Hermione remained motionless at her desk, staring into space, Severus knew something was incredibly wrong, and he said, "...Hermione?" Suddenly she let out a choked sob and covered her mouth, and hot tears of anger and sadness poured down her cheeks. Severus didn't say anything; he merely shut the door to prevent any unwary students from walking in and then walked around her desk until he stood beside her, and turned her chair so it faced him.  
  
He knelt down to her level and put his hands on her shoulders, which wracked with sobs, "Hermione...what happened?" She mumbled something incoherent, then fell forward into his shoulders, sobbing into his neck words that he could not quite understand. Knowing that he wouldn't get anything out of her just yet, he held her steadily as he sat down, and here and there she was mumble something like, "Sister," and "Mother." She was still too inaudible for him to know what she meant.  
  
Finally, after about ten minutes of this, he said, "Come on now, deep breaths. That's right. Take deep breaths, it's all right. Relax." He brushed a few strands of flyaway hair from her face, which was now red and covered in tears, and said, "You think you can tell me what happened?" She nodded slowly, hiccupping a bit, then breathed deeper, "I...I think so." She inhaled a few more times, and Severus silently wanted to hit Adrian for making her so upset, but he said nothing as she began.  
  
"Adrian...Adrian was visiting just now, and I got tired of him giving me lip, so I told him off. I told him that Voldemort was after him, and that he should watch himself unless he wanted to get killed. Well he...he told me...he told me he was tired of me treating him like a little kid. He told me to leave him alone. And after he left, I...I realized that he was right. I've been treating him like a child, like he's my child or something, not like a sister. I should have been a sister to him, but I never was. Not after mum and dad died. I started treating him like he was my own, because I was afraid. But I never realized that it hurt his feelings that I never trusted him to...to take care of himself. I screwed up."  
  
He could see that she was about to start crying again, and he tried to stem the urge, "Hermione, crying won't help anything. Come on now, stop; if anything I should probably get Adrian so you two can discuss this..." "No, no, don't do that, we should just leave him alone for a while," she said, wiping away a few tears, "I know. Stuff like this has happened before; he needs to be by himself so he can think." "Come to think of it, so do you," he added dryly, helping her up.  
  
She smiled, cheeks still puffy, "Thank you Severus." "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" he asked. She smiled wider, "No, thank you. Although I think I should have some tea or something to calm my nerves. I do need to think for a while, you're right. That'll help, I hope." He nodded as she added, "And I think I'm done grading papers for tonight. I think an early retire is in line." She let out an exasperated laugh, "I should probably just go to bed."  
  
He escorted her down to their chambers, and she plopped down on the sofa, feeling exhausted. He snapped his fingers and a tray of tea and cups appeared on the coffee table. For a few minutes, Hermione drank her tea in silence, then finally she cleared her throat, "I'm so exhausted and worried Severus. I hate this." He sat down beside her, "Why is that?" he asked, although he knew the answer. "Adrian," she replied sullenly, "as usual. Something in his eyes this evening; there was something in his eyes that I can't explain, but I was frightened by it. He's involved in things that I'm afraid of, I know he is; he never says it, but I know the truth. I can always tell."  
  
Severus put an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him, worry on her face. "I might try talking to him," he said softly, "see if he won't discuss this with someone else." Silently he suspected that something deeper than he knew was going on, and while he promised Hermione that he would talk to Adrian, he also promised himself that he would pay Lucius Malfoy a visit tomorrow morning. 


	11. Enlightenment

Chapter 11: Enlightenment  
  
Mercifully, it was Saturday, and Hermione got up slowly. She had fallen asleep on the sofa last night, but had felt a pair of arms pick her up and gently put her in bed. It was there that she awoke, and she turned to see that Severus was missing. His things were gone, and she assumed that he had gone to his office or to breakfast. But he was not there.  
  
Hermione went back to the great hall, feeling harassed and tired, and managed to eat only a little. Not knowing what else to do, she went to her office and graded papers till noon. Severus still had not returned, and Adrian was not speaking to her. She felt lonelier than ever.  
  
A knock sounded on the door, and she looked up stoically; it was McGonagall. "Come in Minerva," she said slowly, laying down her quill, feeling surreal. "Are you doing all right, Hermione?" she asked solemnly, sitting down opposite her. "Yes," lied Hermione; after a minute of bottling this up, however, she confessed, "No." Minerva nodded, "I thought as much. Professor Snape has been to see me this morning and-" "He visited with you this morning?" interrupted Hermione. "Yes, he did; he told me to tell you that he wouldn't be back until this evening. He said he had business to attend." Hermione nodded slowly, "Oh. So...what did he say?"  
  
"He saw me this morning and asked me to keep an eye on you and Adrian. He wanted me to look after you." Hermione smiled inwardly, "Oh." Minerva raised an eyebrow, "I think your marriage is yielding more than either of you expected, yes?" Hermione blushed slightly and looked at a corner of her office, "Maybe." Minerva let out a sigh, "I was so worried too. I'm glad to hear it." Hermione looked up, "Worried? Why so?"  
  
She looked askance at Hermione, "I confess I have been worried about Severus for years. He's always been alone. But ever since this year there's been a considerable improvement in his attitude, and I gladden to see it." Hermione felt her heart swell, "Oh." Suddenly Minerva's eyes were alight, and she said, "And of course, you've changed too." Hermione looked surprised, and Minerva laughed as she continued, "You're a little more carefree this year, Hermione. I know you think otherwise because of your concern for Adrian, but I've noticed that you're also considerably more carefree with your life. You're happier; content."  
  
Hermione thought she was wrong, and adamantly so, but then she began to think on these statements, and realized that Minerva was right. She was happy. She was content. She had Severus and Adrian. And that was all that mattered.  
  
Minerva cleared her throat and said, "I think I accomplished my goal. I'll see you later, Hermione. Enjoy the weekend." She disappeared, and Hermione silently complemented her tact; accomplished her goal indeed. 


	12. Knowing Content

Chapter 12: Knowing Content  
  
It was the end of April, and she still hadn't spoken to Adrian; when, on occasion, they passed in the halls, she did not look at him despite the fact that sometimes he looked as if he wanted to say something. He needed to be on his own; he didn't need her anymore.  
  
The castle was beginning to bustle with study, and more and more students were seen in the library or across the grounds, poring over books. Hermione began to grade her papers in a more difficult manner to help her students understand what the exams would be like; she took the time to explain this in class, and luckily most of them appreciated it.  
  
She was in her office grading a few seventh year papers when a soft knock sounded on her door. "Enter," she said, not bothering to look up. The door opened and someone shuffled in, and she glanced up to see that it was Adrian. He looked a little out of sorts, a little uncomfortable, and she said, "Have a seat," as casually as she could. He sat down slowly, looking at his feet. She leaned back, "Yes?"  
  
He looked up at her slowly, "Hermione...I...I'm sorry." She looked at him for a minute, and saw that his face was sincere; he seemed to have lost that darkened look in his eyes that had covered it only a month before. "You don't need to be sorry," she said, "I'm the one that should be sorry. You were right about me. I was too protective of you; from here on out I give you free reign. I won't stand in your way." He smiled, "Thanks. But...just don't stand too far out of the way, okay?" She nodded with a grin, "Okay."  
  
They talked for the next two hours about all sorts of different things, and eventually Severus showed up to see what was going on. He was relieved to see that Hermione and Adrian were back to talking, and he sat down beside the young boy and engaged the two of them in conversation for a while.  
  
Finally Adrian stood up and stretched, "I have to go back to the common room; I promised Justin and Zebulon that I'd study with them for the practice exam tomorrow." Severus and Hermione nodded politely and he shuffled out once he said his goodbyes. Severus shut the door after him with a flick of his wrist and said, "Well, I'm glad things are back to normal." She let out a sigh of relief, "As am I. For a while there I thought that was the end of our relationship. Luckily he came to his senses before I came to mine. If it had been me that had apologized I probably would have started blubbering like a fool."  
  
Severus smirked, "I don't know about that. You're stronger than you let on." That last bit had slipped out by accident, but she didn't seem to notice; she continued, "I'm so glad though. It's such a huge relief. The world just seems...better." He smiled slightly, "That's good to know."  
  
Suddenly he noticed a different glimmer in her eyes, and he couldn't quite understand what it was; this remained a mystery throughout the rest of the day and into the evening. He noticed, however, that the expression fell upon her face only when her eyes rested on him. Feeling slightly nervous about what that meant, he didn't bother asking until that night when the lights were out and they were both in bed.  
  
For a while he tried to sleep, then finally said, "Hermione...is everything...all right?" She hadn't even bothered trying to sleep, "Oh yes, everything's great." He shifted slightly, "I couldn't help but notice that you've been looking at me funny." She giggled in the darkness, and he felt heat rise to his cheeks as she said, "Well..." Suddenly she touched him in a very particular spot, and he jumped in surprise, "Hermione!" She laughed, "Sorry. Just having a little fun. You know I really haven't had...fun, since we got married."  
  
He got what she was hinting at, and felt himself growing simultaneously nervous and excited at the same time. He did, however, stop himself before he got too out of control, "Hermione...if we do this...I mean, I don't want to do something you don't want to do." "Severus, it most certainly won't be something I don't feel like doing; it'll be something I've wanted to do for months." "You're sure?" She laughed, "Yes, I'm sure."  
  
She needn't say anything more, and the two of them spent their first night as a real married couple. 


	13. Sacrifice

Chapter 13: Sacrifice  
  
Hermione awoke the next morning ensconced in warmth, and she realized after a minute that Severus had wrapped his arms around her, and he was sleeping solidly, breathing slightly against her neck. She didn't bother moving, and instead snuggled in closer to him and went back to sleep.  
  
An hour later, however, they were both unable to sleep any longer, and began to shift and yawn. Hermione rolled over to face him, "Good day sunshine." He smirked and yawned, "Morning." She stood up and stretched, "I'm so bloody tired," she said, tilting her head and stretching her neck. "So am I, after last night," he muttered beneath his breath; she heard him and laughed. "Yes, we really must do that again some time," she said with a mischievous smile; he smiled back, feeling as if nothing could possibly be wrong in the world.  
  
Unfortunately, that wouldn't last for much longer.  
  
Hermione and Severus went upstairs to the great hall for breakfast, and after a few odd glances from staff members and students they realized that they were a little too happy for what was normal, and tried to tone down their permanent smiles.  
  
Hermione had just begun to eat her eggs and toast when suddenly Severus, who was seated beside her, let out a cry of pain and clutched his forearm. She almost spat out her food, knowing what it meant, and was about to ask when suddenly the great hall rocked in an explosion.  
  
The High Table was blown backward, and Hermione was slammed into the wall; Severus too went skittering back and hit his head against the table, and he stood up slowly, dizzied in pain. Smoke was pouring into the great hall, and Hermione gasped and choked on the blackness. She helped Severus to stand, and after a few more seconds of swirling madness he pulled out his wand and said, "Stay here, I'm going to find Adrian." "Severus don't!" she cried, but he turned back, "Stay here!" he barked, and ran into the billowing haze.  
  
She coughed and hacked, but pulled out her wand and tried to clear the smoke; it refused her spells, and she let out a noise of anger, although silently she feared the worst.  
  
Severus sped along the hallway as fast as he could, and the password to the Slytherin common room was barely out of his mouth before he was bounding through the doorway. A few students were seated on the green chairs, and they looked up in alarm at his hasty entrance. "Where is Adrian Granger?!" he snapped. One of the students said, "He just left a minute ago. Said he had somewhere he needed to be." "Did he say where?" "No, he just left." "Damn!" he muttered; he turned to leave, then looked back over his shoulder, "All of you are to stay here. No one is to leave the dormitory. Alert the prefects."  
  
They nodded, confused, and he was off again, back down the corridor, trying to figure out where Adrian would have gone. Then it hit him, and he almost cursed himself, and turned back the other way, running all the way down to his chambers.  
  
A minute later he was dashing down the stone steps, and he saw Adrian sitting there; clearly he had been trying to get into their chambers. "Adrian!" he cried, grabbing hold of him by the arm, "Are you all right?" "Of course I'm all right, what's the matter?" he asked. "Never mind that," said Severus, yanking him up the steps, "we have to get you out of here. The great hall's just been attacked." Adrian's eyes grew wide, but he kept running beside Severus, "Is Hermione all right?" "She's fine, yes, I told her to stay there until I had you."  
  
They were almost to the top of the stairs of the dungeon when they heard screaming, and rough voices yelling at a woman. Severus jerked Adrian into a dark alcove; a minute later, the voices were passing them by, going down the stairs, and Severus saw, with dread, that four Death Eaters had a hold of Hermione. Adrian lurched forward, but he pinned him back and slapped a hand over his mouth, watching carefully. "Let go of me you sonofabitch!" cried Hermione angrily, struggling in their grasps. "Can't let you go, I'm afraid, not till we know where the boy is," said a familiar voice, and Severus silently suspected it was Macnair.  
  
Adrian's eyes grew wide with horror, and he struggled harder, but Severus held him back firmly. The voices descended further into the dungeon, and Severus knew it was safe for the moment; he turned to the youth, "Listen to me Adrian. You have to stay here. You can't go anywhere in this castle; I don't know if it's safe. There might be more Death Eaters or...or worse. Stay here in the alcove and wait for me. I'm going to get your sister back. And not a word, you understand? You stay here in the shadows and do not do anything!"  
  
Adrian nodded slowly, and he slid further into the darkness; Severus turned and ran lightly down the steps, and his footfalls carried, but only just. He was about to round the last corner when he heard a loud slap, and the following sound of someone falling to the floor. "Shut up bitch," muttered one of the Death Eaters, "it's your mouth that gets you in trouble half the time so shut it." Severus felt his blood boil, but he waited for the moment to present itself.  
  
Sure enough, one of the Death Eaters went around the corner to inspect the dungeon, and Severus cried, "MACHUVIO!" The Death Eater fell to the ground, writhing as boils covered his body, and Severus jumped over him and ran around the corner shouting, "EXPELLIARMUS!"  
  
Three wands went flying, but he caught only one; the other two dove for theirs, and in the meantime Severus threw the spare wand to Hermione, who caught it with ease. A series of hexes later, three more Death Eaters were lying on the floor, and Severus bound them all quickly with four snaps of his fingers.  
  
Hermione was gasping for breath, "Where's Adrian?" "Hiding in an alcove," said Severus, "I told him to wait there." "Then I doubt he's doing it!" she cried, "Knowing him!"  
  
They left the four Death Eaters bound, gagged, unconscious, and wandless, locked away in a small cupboard, then ran back up the steps. Adrian was still there, looking scared, and he let out a yelp of relief when he saw the two of them, "I was about to come find you!" he said, hugging her tightly. "I'm glad you didn't," she said, "they're after you. The last thing they need is for you to walk right into their hands."  
  
"Like he did just now."  
  
Hermione, Severus, and Adrian whipped about, and there, with red gleaming eyes, stood Lord Voldemort. Severus slammed both of them into the alcove as far as possible, then turned to face Voldemort, "My Lord!" he said, bowing his head. "Nice try Severus, but I'm not falling for it this time," said Voldemort dryly, "it's a little too late for false niceties. Stand aside. I'll deal with you later." He refused to move, and Voldemort's eyes flickered with anger, "I said move, Snape! You're already in this deep enough as it is!"  
  
Severus said nothing, and Voldemort, angered, cried, "Crucio!" In a second Severus had fallen to the floor, writhing in pain, and Hermione pulled out her wand, but too late; Voldemort cried "Expelliarmus!" and her wand as well as Adrian's went flying straight into his hands.  
  
He laughed a high, cold laugh, "Ah yes, Hermione Granger. Your courage precedes you. Much like your parents, nonetheless." "Don't speak to me of my parents you murderer!" she hissed, blocking Adrian from view subconsciously. Voldemort chuckled, "And don't bother trying to hide your brother from me. I'm well aware that he's there, and I'm also aware of his power." He released Severus from the Cruciatus Curse suddenly, and he lay there motionless. Hermione felt the urge to run to him, but would not leave Adrian.  
  
A few Death Eaters appeared suddenly, and Voldemort nodded toward Hermione, "Take her. Go put her in the dungeons somewhere. Have a little fun with her on my part." They reached for Hermione but suddenly Adrian yelled "Wait! Stop! No!" Voldemort held up his hand, "You have something to say?" Adrian hesitated, then, "If you...if you let both of them go, if you let them live...I'll go with you freely." "No!" shouted Hermione, turning to face him, "No! You can't do that! I won't let you!"  
  
His eyes were steeled, "I have to, Hermione. It's the only way all three of us will get out of this alive." He looked over her shoulder at Voldemort, "Do we have a deal?" Voldemort's mouth flickered with pleasure, "Yes, we do." Severus's eyes blinked open, "No, Adrian, don't do it..." "It's this or all three of us die!" said Adrian, "It's the only choice we've got!"  
  
Hermione sobbed out loud as Adrian stood beside Voldemort, who put a hand on his shoulder. She shut her eyes and looked away, horrified, as Voldemort spoke, "Well, this was much easier than I'd planned. And since I'm a man of my word, I will leave your sister and your uncle alone. My Death Eaters, however, might not." "What? That's not fair! You liar!" shouted Adrian, struggling against his iron grip. Voldemort snapped his fingers, and ropes wrapped around Adrian tightly, "Liar is such a dirty word. I prefer interpreter of the truth. Take them both. Here are their wands, just in case. I'm leaving with the boy. Cause as much damage as possible."  
  
He jerked Adrian up the steps, and Hermione cried out, but the Death Eaters dove for her and Severus. A minute later, she was biting, kicking, scratching, doing anything to get them off of her, and for a heartbeat she thought she was about to meet her end. But then, somehow, Severus jumped into the fray and punched one of the Death Eaters across the jaw; the wand fell from his hands, and Hermione dove for her it and turned to one of the other Death Eaters, "Covelia!" The Death Eater let out a shout of pain and began scratching at the invisible rash all over his body, and he fell to the floor.  
  
Severus was slammed into the wall by one of the Death Eaters, but Hermione was seething with so much rage that she wasted no time. "Xoria!" The Death Eater fell to the floor, unconscious, and now they were two on two. Within minutes, they felled the Death Eaters, and Severus and Hermione were both a fearsome sight to look upon, blood pulsing with hatred and anger.  
  
They both ran up the stairs, although Severus seemed to be taking it slower after the Cruciatus Curse, and he urged her on ahead, "Go, find Adrian! Go, forget about me, I'll go back and tie up the Death Eaters! Go!" Hermione did not need telling twice, and she dashed into the corridor outside the great hall to discover that it was alight with fire and smoke, and she hid her nose and mouth beneath her robes. Voldemort had been here. He had caused this. Trying to stem the tide of flames back so she could get through to the doors, finally she made it, and ran out of the castle and onto the grounds. She knew they couldn't have Apparated just yet; it was too soon for that, and they could not yet be all the way across the grounds.  
  
She looked down toward the gates and saw two distant figures approaching them, and she ran full speed toward them. Her legs pumped as fast as she could will them to, and her lungs were bursting with fire. Sweat poured down her brow, and her hair flew out madly behind her. Now she could see clearly that it was indeed Voldemort and Adrian, and from the looks of it, Adrian was putting up a hell of a fight.  
  
They were almost to the gates now, and once they reached the gates they would Apparate and be gone. She ran faster, and Voldemort glanced her and pulled harder at Adrian. The boy jerked the other way, but being an eleven year old, he hardly stood a chance against the Darkest wizard of modern times.  
  
Hermione was almost to the gates, but so were they, and she pulled out her wand and shouted "Ipsalom!" The yellow spell went right past Voldemort, and he gave one last tug and he and Adrian were through the gates. He didn't hesitate, "Aparecium!" Hermione let out a tormented scream of horror, and saw Adrian's frightened eyes one last time before he and Voldemort were gone. 


	14. Suffering

Chapter 14: Suffering  
  
"Let go of me! Let go!" shouted Severus Snape, fending off Poppy Pomfrey. "Professor Snape, you are in no condition to go off gallivanting at a time like this!" "Let go I said! I have to find Hermione!" "Someone's been sent to find her, now please lie down!" "No!" he shouted, scrambling out of her grasp and out of the hospital wing. She let out a noise of surprise and anger, but finally decided that perhaps it was better for him to go.  
  
He ran all the way down to the main entrance doors and burst through them, knowing exactly where she would be, and he saw a tiny figure at the gates. Just one. Adrian wasn't there. He let out a noise of disappointment, and he knew that Voldemort's grasp over the boy would take effect within days. He was too powerful for Adrian to refuse, and Severus knew it.  
  
Two minutes later he was at the gates, and he found Hermione sobbing on her knees, punching her fists into the ground. Severus fell to his knees beside her and pulled her tight against him; she sobbed uncontrollably into his chest, mumbling, "He took Adrian...he took him...he took him..." "We'll get him back," muttered Severus, not sure if he was convincing even himself, "we'll get him back." She shook her head and continued to cry, and silently he wished that Dumbledore was still alive.  
  
For twenty minutes they sat at the entrance of the gates, undisturbed, until finally Diana Sinistra came to get them. She knew what had happened, but only said, "Let's get you two back to the castle. You can't sit out here unprotected." She seemed to be a voice of reality in Hermione's head, and slowly she looked up, "All right."  
  
She stood up slowly and wiped the tears away from her face, but it remained evident that she was crying, for her face was red and puffy. She never wavered, however, but Severus continued to hold her all the way back to the castle. Finally, Hermione murmured, "What happened?" Sinistra glanced back at them, "The Dark Lord...he sent his Death Eaters into the hall and bombed it. Several of them were waiting at specific points around the school. They...they attacked several of us." "Everyone's all right?" asked Hermione in a tinny voice. Sinistra flinched, "I don't know."  
  
After a few more minutes of walking they finally reached the entryway doors, and Sinistra pushed them open slowly. The corridor was slowly beginning to clear of smoke and flame, and Hermione saw Flitwick and Trelawney trying to rectify the damage that had been done. Everywhere were spare bits of floor and ceiling flung about the room, and a dusty white color was slowly settling on the flagged stone floor. Hermione looked up to see that chunks of the ceiling were missing, and as they passed by the great hall she saw that it was almost completely destroyed. A great battle had taken place, and with dread she knew that it was only the first of many.  
  
Sinistra turned to face them, "I'm leaving you for now; I'm going to help clean up. But you both should be in the hospital wing, I think; of course, far be it from me to dictate such things to you two, but from the looks of it you've seen better days. Go rest; just go to your chambers and sleep. God knows we all need it." Sinistra disappeared into the great hall, and Hermione nodded slowly, feeling sickened and desperate, and she felt her knees quake as a blurry darkness took her eyes.  
  
Collapsing slowly, Severus caught her, and she felt two arms around her and many voices speaking. She knew no more.  
  
Hermione awoke the next day to a deepening twilight; it would be night soon. She shifted slowly and blinked her eyes, remembering yesterday's events. Adrian was lost now. She had to find him again.  
  
She rolled over uneasily; Severus wasn't there. She pulled the blankets up over her face and pulled them round tightly; she didn't want to wake up. She wanted to sleep forever, and never ever have to wake up again. Let someone else worry about Voldemort. Let someone us lose their entire family to a sick lifeless bastard. Just don't let it be her.  
  
She closed her eyes and tried to sleep again, but it would not take her. Finally, exasperated, she sat up slowly and rubbed the sleep from her eyes; it was then that she realized that Severus was sitting in a corner of the room, watching her in silence. "Hi," she said softly, wishing none of this had ever happened. "Hello," he said sullenly.  
  
They were silent for a moment, then Hermione spoke, "What's happened since I've been asleep?" He shrugged vaguely, feeling lifeless, "Just cleaning up Hogwarts. School's cancelled for the rest of the year. The students are all home." She nodded slowly, fearing that this had happened, "How are you doing?" "Fine," he replied slowly, sitting back in the chair, "I took a potion to ease the aching from the Cruciatus Curse. It's almost completely gone."  
  
She nodded, "That's good." He hesitated, then said, "Are you feeling better?" "Yes, thank you," she said stiffly, "although I wish I hadn't passed out. I feel like a weak fool." "You're not," he interjected, dark eyes wavering on her for a minute, "you're just exhausted. Nobody can begrudge you that." She looked away, "I suppose."  
  
Severus shifted, and she noticed that there was something he wasn't telling her. "What is it?" she asked softly. He looked away for a minute, eyes resting upon the floor, then finally said, "Hermione...Minerva's dead." Hermione felt her as if her heart had broken, "What?" He looked up at her, "Right after the attack. They got her in the great hall. She's the only one. A few are in the hospital but..." Hermione held up a hand, quivering slightly; Minerva McGonagall was dead? Dead?  
  
Her head spun dizzily, feeling as if nothing in the world was right now; Adrian was gone, and now Minerva was dead. Her parents were dead. Dumbledore was dead. Everything was crumbling spectacularly to pieces. She looked at Severus slowly, feeling unreal, "Who will take her place?"  
  
His eyes darted away again, and after a moment he finally spoke, "I will." Hermione nodded slowly, feeling no relief for him; if anything, now he would be in even more danger than before. He was an exposed Death Eater, and now he would be Headmaster of the school that Voldemort wanted so badly. He was in a deadly, precarious position. 'And so am I,' she thought blandly, 'by association and by reputation, you're in just as much danger as he is.'  
  
She looked at him tiredly, "I don't want to be here anymore. I want to go home." He nodded slowly, "I know. And we will go home. But not yet; I have to finish things up here before we can leave. Make sure everything is locked down; the school will have to be securer than ever this summer. We'll probably have to inspect it at least once every few days." She nodded, thinking carefully, and finally said, "Why does all this happen to us?"  
  
He smiled grimly, "That I do not know." 


	15. Something Worth Fighting For

Chapter 15: Something Worth Fighting For  
  
Two days later Minerva McGonagall was buried at the cemetery near Hogsmeade, next to her late husband. Hermione felt as if a piece of her was lowered into the ground along with the casket, and she felt like dying all over again. Her mentor and friend was gone. And so was her brother.  
  
Severus put a hand on her shoulder and steered her away after the ceremony was over, and wearily everyone went back to the castle on this most forlorn and dreary day. They inspected the school carefully, and after a request for guards, Cornelius Fudge allowed Severus to have them there at the school. Aurors walked the corridors regularly. Ministry officials popped up here and there. Argus Filch was seen showing them the different secret passages in the school.  
  
"We can go home soon," said Severus one evening as they got into bed. "I know," she said blankly, feeling nothing. He touched her shoulder, "I know all this seems unreal. This is what I've lived for years. But Hermione...as long as we're here, we have to keep fighting. Because there is something worth fighting for." "What's that?" she asked, feeling dead.  
  
He drew her in close and whispered, "Each other." Hermione looked up and saw the sincerity in his eyes, and for a minute the world crashed around her; he was right. He was absolutely right. "Severus, if I didn't have you I don't know what I'd do," she said truthfully, and she smiled for the first time in days. "Same here," he said, smiling dryly. Hermione fell asleep that night feeling better, and realizing that there was something worth fighting for.  
  
And Voldemort be damned if she would lose out this time.  
  
[the end]  
  
A/N: There will be a sequel to this; hopefully everyone will want to read it! Reviews please! 


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